Mary Had a Little Lamb

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fortner. Are we ready to play music today?"

I have taken piano lessons for a month from Cheryl, a delightful person, that I call my piano nazi. She gives me tons of homework every week, and expects me to finish it all when 2pm on wednesday rolls around.

"Mr. Fortner, did you do your scales? Lets hear them!"

"Mr. Fortner, did you do songs 3 thru 14?  lets hear them!"

"Mr. Fortner, if you continue to skip a finger on that scale, Im going to have to get a big ruler and start wacking your hand!"

I asked Cheryl if she had such a firm hand with her children.

She said " Oh no Mr. Fortner, I just love them! Last week my son complained that I was ruling his life. I told him he shouldnt worry his pretty little head about his life, I had his life under control. I told him that when he gets married, I will allow his wife to manage his life, but until them, its all taken care of! "

Song number 14 was 'mary had a little lamb'.  Well, I AM a rank beginner.

I played song 14 for Cheryl.

"Mr. Fortner, where is the feeling in that song? Where is the love?"

I replied, not unreasonably, that it was, well, just mary had a little lamb.

"Mr. Fortner, dont you understand that music is love? Music is not just the way we express our emotions, it IS emotion.  Love and music are one. When I play beautiful music, beautiful music, it expresses love to me, and I feel love, truly feel it. And you can do."

"But Ms. Piano Nazi, its just Mary Had a Little Lamb! Its a nothing piece. There is no love there...", I replied, but of course I didnt use the term 'Piano Nazi' in her presence, or I would probably lose permanent use of my right hand..

"Oh but Mr. Fortner, you are so wrong! First, let us listen to how you played Mary Had a Little Lamb"

And Cheryl played the song perfectly, much better than I did. She hit every note, in perfect rhythm.

I replied, "Ah, OK.  thats better than I can do it, but I dont feel anything".

"But Mr. Fortner, just wait! Now listen to how it SHOULD be played! By YOU when you have enough training!"

And Ms. Piano Nazi played Mary Had a Little Lamb, but with 'some' additions. Her fingers danced on the keyboard, first soft, then hard, up and down the scales, up and down, all over. The original melody was still there, but now it was just the theme, and, well, it was beautiful. It was just beautiful.

I almost cried. I loved it. When she finished, I loved the world. I loved Mary. I even loved the Lamb, in a brotherly sort of way.  To think, that someday, I could do that.

"Mr. Fortner, we are just a few short months away from GREAT music. Beautiful Music. Music of the Soul. Back to work!"