Musical Renditions

Craig, at age twelve, was a young boy growing up in a small New England industrial city. The year was 1972, and he had become fascinated by all the rage and attention which was being paid to the popular musical acts of the time who were recording records in studios and performing in concert on the stage. Among the performers Craig was an avid fan of were “The Doors,” “The Rolling Stones,” “The Partridge Family,” “Jefferson Airplane,” “Jimi Hendrix,” and “Peter, Paul and Mary”. He had a true love for these and other musical groups, which gave him high aspirations in himself. He became determined to become a musician himself. “We should start a band. It would be a great thing to do. It would be a fine way for us to make our mark. It would give us a sense of purpose, focus, and meaning,” Craig said to one of his classmates named John. “I can be like you. All of us can learn to pay an instrument, we can get together and play, and it would be a fine way to show our creativity and express ourselves,” John replied. Craig enrolled in a class at his school that provided instruction in how to play the drums. He paid strict attention to the lesson which was given during each class, and attempted to comprehend and put into practice at home what the instructor was trying to teach him to do. “When playing the drums, there is a specific method to use that you learn when practicing which is similar to doing a task. Go over this method over and over again, and you will eventually master the art of playing drums,” Mr. Harris, who was the drum instructor stated to the class. Craig would go home and practice, practice, practice, in the same manner that Mr. Harris attempted to teach him to do. Weeks of instruction and practice went by, and the time for the Holiday Concert at the school was approaching. All the students in the drum class were preparing themselves to perform in the Holiday Concert. One day just before the Holiday Concert would take place, Mr. Harris stood in front of the entire class and stated, “everything is a go,” only that Craig would not be participating in the Holiday Concert. Craig became let down and disappointed, and couldn’t truly understand and comprehend why Mr. Harris would exclude him, and make him give up on his ambition to become a drummer. Four years went by, and Craig turned sixteen years of age. He never let up on his fascination for music. New musical acts were emerging, among them “Bad Company,” “The Eagles,” The Doobie Brothers,” “Heart,” “Aerosmith,” and “The Who”. As new musical acts were gaining attention, Craig would be an avid fan of these performers as well. Regardless of not succeeding at becoming a drummer, Craig didn’t want to give up on his dream of becoming a musician. He enrolled in private lessons with Mr. Davies, the guitar instructor at a music store which was located in the Downtown of the city Craig lived in. Craig listened to Mr. Davies, and followed the practice lessons in the instruction book while he practiced. He put in a lot of time and effort practicing the guitar at home. Craig felt that he was doing an adequate job, and sensed within himself that he was making progress in his lessons. When Craig returned to the music store for his lessons, Mr. Davies spoke to him. “You’re not practicing or keeping up with the lessons. In order to learn how to play guitar, you have to keep up with the lessons and practice.” Mr. Davies said to Craig. Craig didn’t see any reason to continue, and discontinued his lessons. Craig just surmised and concluded that he didn’t have the innate talent and ability to become a musician. This was especially devastating considering the great love for music, and the high aspirations he had. He was left with a lack of understanding and comprehension why his efforts had the results it did. He had to adapt to the fact that music would always be his greatest passion, but he couldn’t actually participate in it. His great love for music would continue, and he would always be an avid fan.