Slice of Life Story Challenge, Day 15 #sol19

One by one, the musicians rolled in.  Some I’d never met, some who’d come to feel like old friends.

Introductions complete, instruments assembled, and speakers humming, the M.D. (musical director) of the project called out the tune and counted it off.  Suddenly, extraordinary music filled the room of the old remodeled Dutch barn, played by a group of people who had never previously played a single note together.  Who had never even occupied space in the same room before.  I felt the energy in the room rise, fueled by talent, years of practice, and passion.

Music still truly amazes me in this way, how it can sometimes allow total strangers to gather together and connect in an unexplainable, sonic fashion.  How it can create entirely new internal and external narratives within and outside a person.  How it can both evoke emotion and fill a room with it.  How this secret language spoken only by those who have dedicated a life to studying it can generate a conversation hued in beauty.

Not all rehearsals feel this way.  But driving home last night, with keyboards now resting in their cases in the back of my car, I knew something special had taken place.

Author: Lanny Ball

For more than 29 years, Lanny has taught, coached, presented, staff developed, and consulted within the exciting and enigmatic world of literacy. With unyielding passion and belief in the possibility of workshop teaching, Lanny has worked to support students, teachers, and school administrators around the country in outgrowing themselves as both writers and readers. Working first as a classroom teacher, then as a coach and TCRWP Staff Developer, Lanny is now a literacy specialist, working and living in the great state of Connecticut. Outside of literacy, he enjoys raising his three ambitious young daughters with his wife, and playing the piano. Find him on this blog, as well as on Twitter @LannyBall. Lanny is also a former co-author of a blog dedicated to supporting writing teachers and coaches that maintain classroom writing workshops, twowritingteachers.org.

6 thoughts on “Slice of Life Story Challenge, Day 15 #sol19”

  1. I am envious. I love music but I was never good at playing an instrument. I took some guitar classes when I was a kid but pretty soon I realized I shouldn´t continue since I was unable to tune my own guitar, no matter I hard I tried. I am happy though to see that the energy of musicians spills profusely on the body and souls of humble listeners like me.

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  3. “If music be the food of love, play on.” It is, indeed, a “secret language” that can both “evoke emotion and fill a room with it.” I am not a musician, but I am an avid concert and opera fan. Thank you for sharing this moment today.

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  6. I was drawn to your post at the mere mention of music. I taught music for 23 years before I moved permanently over to ELA. I played string bass before the arthritis set in, but I still consider myself a musician. Your post made me long for the “good old days.”

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