There was a point, we were approximately 9, when our music teacher took our mother-the-school-librarian aside and said, “Maybe the flute isn’t the right instrument for her.” This was followed a year later, “Maybe the violin isn’t the right instrument for her.” And a year later, when our piano teacher, not privy to our elementary school music teacher’s thoughts, chose to forego our mother’s payments, saying, “Maybe the piano isn’t the right instrument for her.”
In the interest of time, we will not recount our long and unfortunate experiences with chorus.
Our fantasies of being a famous rock star were understandably dashed, and we seethed in jealousy as our younger sister exhibited all the traits we coveted. Okay, we didn’t just seethe — we exacted punishment in cruel and unusual ways. What else is the fun of being the oldest? Was it our fault she couldn’t sleep with the light on? Of course not.
Despite it all, we felt we were fairly literate, from a music perspective. Sure, we studied the more obscure canon of rock music, particularly the things they don’t play on the radio. This was back when alternative wasn’t cool, and we remain amazed that our geekier friends are now considered hip by virtue of their musical tastes. We want to take their admirers aside and explain the truth. As it turns out, we are not musically literate, and this probably affects our overall literacy. Which is too bad because we thought CDs were the right instrument for us.
