Music can change people

"Music can change the world, because music can change people."

-Bono

If you know me at all, you definitely know about my borderline obsession with U2 (ok it's not borderline, it’s a full out obsession). They, in my mind, changed Christian music and made it main stream and did it in a way that most people don’t know they are listening to Christian music. I know because I was in my late 20's before I realized it. However, that is another discussion for another day. I started with this quote from Bono, because it applies to what we were able to witness as a family last night.

Alex has been playing the cello for a little over a year now. Mandy and I wanted our boys to be well rounded. We encouraged both of them to want to play an instrument. We let them choose and thanks to The Piano Guys and "Cello Wars," Alex chose the cello (if you don't know what Cello Wars is, really get out from under your rock and You Tube it). We lucked out by having a neighbor who teaches cello and was willing to start teaching to an 8 year old. Alex is like his mother, that usually when he starts something, he can pick it up right away and run with it. If he doesn't get it right, right away, he gets frustrated and shuts down. The cello was no exception to that. I think he fully expected to start playing Piano Guys type music right away. When he wasn't able to, he became despondent and didn't want to play anymore. It was a struggle. He would get good at one song, and then struggle again when he had to move on to something new. The repetitive practicing was a grind on him. He would refuse to practice most days and then it was a battle with us. Most of that changed when he was asked to play in front of his 3rd grade class a couple of months ago. He was able to gain some confidence in himself by playing in front of others. It changed him. He was more confident in his abilities. He saw the value of what hard work can do. Alex is a very competitive person (I have no clue where he got that trait from), but he is also very hard on himself. He wants do the best at everything he tries but he beats himself up if he doesn't succeed. The cello has become an outlet for him. He can see the daily benefits now.

All of these emotions culminated last night at his recital. His music teacher, along with two other teachers, combines their students for a recital in a church in Ogden. He was going to play in front of close to 75 people. My little man was nervous as soon as soon as we got in the car (didn't help I was just as nervous for him. Mandy as always is the rock and didn't doubt what he was capable of).

He played in front of his family and both grandmas and he nailed it. This was the best he has played to this point. The joy and relief on his face when he was finished was worth the past year of struggles for him. It clicked for him that hard work can pay off. We couldn't be more proud of him and not because he played well, because he rocked it (I know rocked doesn't usually describe a French Folk song but it does here). I am proud of him because he took a struggle for him and learned and improved himself.