Wendy: Music making and me

I feel very privileged to have been to a state primary school where music was a priority subject. We were taught to read scores and rhythm via percussion bands, and notation through recorder playing, so by the age of seven I was conducting the percussion band and recorder ensembles in local festivals. We also had, I now realise, a remarkable school choir.

However, although my main instrument was voice, we had a piano at home which my sister played, and by watching her, I was soon playing it to a recognisable standard. Music gives me great joy and since my retirement has brought me wonderful friendships.

I began to play the flute when I retired and later brought my violin out of the cupboard. A few minutes every day playing the violin gave me enough confidence to join a folk fiddle group, and with it an improvement in my ability to keep with the group, or sometimes to mime until I’d had time to sort it in my mind. Never be afraid to mime just as long as you sort it out later.

A passing remark from a fellow flute player in ABO, our Felton wind ensemble, took me to U3A’s ukulele group and more friends. The ukulele is a very fun instrument to learn and one that can be played in the garden without annoying neighbours. Most books have the chord formations indicated at the top of the page, so finding a way round the music is made much simpler. Never believe that playing an instrument is an impossibility… the ukulele would prove otherwise.

Another stray remark caused me to borrow one of my son’s saxophones. It is not so dissimilar to a flute, and therefore quite like a recorder fingering. I am finding 10 to 15 minutes a day enough for now as the embouchure is so different from my flute and causes my face to ache.! But I have found that the more one plays, each little improvement awakes the desire to play a little more. Success breeds success, and gives such a sense of achievement. I know I will never play in the Albert Hall or give an acclaimed recital, but I am doing this for ME.

Since school I have wanted to play the ‘cello and last year decided if not now, when? I was fortunate to hear of a cello being sold reasonably cheaply and so bought it. The bowing action is totally different from the violin, and initially made my arm ache, but that is getting better now too, It is a little more of a trial to get it ready to play when the violin is a get-out-of-the case and go, but once I am prepared it is a joy to aim for the right note, and magic when the tone of just one note is beautiful.

I find a little every day sees huge improvement. I think starting with the scale of the piece is helpful, and ending a practice session with a short piece you know and play well gives a sense of satisfaction.

In my experience, when life gets hard, or quiet (as now with this lock down), music is there to calm the mind. I have come to know many lovely people who I think of as my friends, and am playing in different groups so am never at a loose end wondering what to do.

Wendy Williams
April 2020