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Lockdown – creativity
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I played the clarinet in band class in grade school and middle school. I wasn’t particularly good at it, but I did learn a great deal about music theory. And I have to say I’ve never been involved in a more enjoyable group activity than making music with dozens of people.
I developed two instrument-related physical deformities that took years to heal:Â a thumbrest-shaped indentation on the side of my right thumb which is still a little bit shiny, and a long groove just below the inside of my lower lip where I had to use my lower teeth (through the flesh) to support the weight of the mouthpiece.
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David, now the clarinet always fascinated me among all the band instruments with it’s slender black body and intricate chrome parts that adorn it. Just looked super elegant. My older sister did the clarinet when she was in band class, and remember how beautiful the instrument looked in the little black case it came in.  Was the reed mouth piece hard on the lips to play? While I never made good music in band class, I can relate to what you said about how enjoyable it is to make music with a group of people. In elementary school music class, the whole class often sang together many beautiful songs, and the making of music with our voices all singing together with all the other kids felt so wonderful. Music classes were some of my most memorable times in elementary school.
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Jung, it looks to the outside observer like your mouth is as relaxed as when you blow a whistle, but when you play the clarinet you have to pull your lower lip back over your lower teeth in order to create a firm bench for the mouthpiece to rest on. It’s not instantaneously uncomfortable, but after about an hour of your flesh being squeezed between your teeth and the mouthpiece you begin to feel like you’re doing some harm to your blood vessels. Then again, maybe I was doing something wrong all those years, but I was following directions the best I could.
I sang in grade school music class too, but frankly that wasn’t the same because we were all singing the same part, with no harmonies to make it interesting. Of course, as we’ve discussed before, we were exposed to some pretty good pop songs that way.
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Ok, let me add my 2 cents worth here, on school music memories…
I can still vividly recall in Kindergarten my teacher, playing her autoharp (like what Mother Maybelle Carter plays)during the music time once in awhile, oh, how that instrument fascinated me, and enjoyed watching her play it andcwecsing along, I think I may have even was allowed to touch it….. it made that much of an impact and impression for me to recall vividly at age 51 to that time I was 5… then from Grades 1-6 at least once a week, we had music class, wherecwould mostly sing songs from a songbook, called “Song Time”, and I enjoyed those classes immensely, as the music teachers, would play piano, guitar, drums, etc…My 2nd oldest bro’s Grade 5 teacher was a Beatles fan to the point she had their class do a Beatles music montage at an assembly one night for Christmas or some other occasion, I recall being there with Mom to watch my bro in it, I think my class did something as well. My 2nd oldest bro and I are 3 yrs apart in age while myboldest bro and I are 6 yrs apart … Now, for my Grade 7 twice (I had to repeat), and Grade8, the music classes were different , not as enjoyable, andc was forced to learn and subsequently failed at trumpet, and music classes itself, thus had a spare instead for that time frame, I did not like the music teacher nor did he like me, it was mutual, so better off that I got taken out of his class. I don’t recall in high school now, what I did for music, probably same thing as in Grades 7 and 8, took class, made to play an instrument I struggled, failed class, to be taken out of it, same reason, not liking teacher and them not liking me, thought I was a moron , their body language said it best…
Thankfully, my elementary school music class memories, more meaningful, and enjoyable…
And I love playing around on my harmonica, have no clue what key I do, I just mutter about and play by ear, that’s how I learn best. I rather play by ear, than to look/read music, or by someone showing me, with visual references, not just sitting there explaining, I need both visual and explanation teaching references….as harmonica or percussion , like tambourine, I grasp better at learning than my lost cause at guitar, uke, banjo, etc instruments…
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Hi Jacki, that’s awesome you enjoy playing around on the harmonica. If you enjoy the harmonica I think you found your instrument. In that first video by Victor Wooten in the “Music as a language” post, Victor says:
it’s not about learning the instrument first, it’s about what you have to say. Put another way, it’s being musical first, and then putting your music through an instrument. Music is a language.
Who cares what your old music class teachers said or made you feel. They were lousy teachers. I heard a great musician say everyone is musical. Watching Mona play that harmonica in “Pink Flamingo” is inspiring.  Makes me want to play the harmonica too.
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David, thanks for the illustration. I can see the clarinet also requires a tough lip. In my grade school music class our teacher use to have all the boys sing the lows and the girls sing the highs, and harmonize that way which was fun, but to your point it sounds like harmonizing with instruments and playing off each other sounds like quite a rewarding experience I have not had the pleasure of knowing yet. Maybe later when I retire I will have to get good enough on the piano so I can join some amateur local band and play a concerto with them, or find an amateur violinist willing to do a piano/violin duo with me. At least something to dream about. 🙂
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Whether it’s an inspired song, painting, photo, poem, film, or a passage from a famous piece of literature, art in it’s various forms expresses profound insight and feelings.
click on image to see in full size
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Happiness is
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I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure that nowadays they could engineer ice cream that smells like flowers, saving Linus and Lucy a little money.
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That could make a good idea for the floral or ice cream industry. Rose scented Strawberry Cherry ice cream. 🙂
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Apparently people are making ice cream that incorporates actual flowers:
https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/flower-infused-ice-cream-recipes
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Something to ease the cabin fever!
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