The Essential Partnership
“Every instrument has a soul, a personality,” she said as she sanded the small body of a violin. “It’s up to the musician to find out what their instrument is to them.” The group of students she was speaking to nodded. Some took notes in small spiral notebooks with pencils attached to string. The students in the back giggled and whispered to themselves.
“I fully believe,” the lecturer continued, “ that a musicians’ job is to get to know their instrument before they can make music. Just like two dance partners must know each other before doing a flawless dance, so you must know your instrument. Technique in both music and dance is important foundation to the storytelling, but it does not enable the full excellence. Technique is like words in a story, but it does not determine how good of a storyteller you are or how good the story is.”
Rebecca let her eyes wander from the woman sanding and whittling away at a new violin. She glanced at the brochure she had in her sweaty hands, at the workshop on the cover. “Oakland Workshop” it said in large bold letters, “home of the most famous violinist and woodworker Sarah Parker.” Rebecca sighed. She agreed that it was amazing to see her in person, but after reading all her books, listening to interviews, and doing all the research she could, Rebecca hadn’t heard anything new.
“So that’s what I learned at the wood shop today,” Rebecca said to her mother at dinner.
Her mother smiled. “That’s good, sweet heart.”
