Candid

My youngest daughter is a cellist. She is currently a freshman in college wanting to make a go at majoring in cello performance. And as a completely *unbiased* father, I think she's good. Very good.

When the opportunity came up in fourth grade for the kids in her class to begin string orchestra, nearly everyone wanted to go for violin, including my daughter. It was the cool instrument. At the organizational meeting the orchestra teacher practically begged parents to consider starting their kids on other instruments - violas, cellos and basses. Besides needing them badly, her reasoning was that the top spots for those instruments in future orchestras would be less competitive. She was correct, up to a point. My reasoning was that a cello had a deeper sound and a longer neck ... there was more room for error in the fingering and we'd never hear a sound like a screeching cat come out of it, as all the violin parents would soon experience on a regular basis.

I don't remember how we convinced her to not go with the crowd, but we did. She developed the discipline to practice several hours a day on an instrument that was not on the "A" list. In a way I think that helped her later on to not succumb to the usual pressures exerted by peers in high school.

This photo of my daughter practicing in her room was taken when she was just about to begin high school. She was totally unaffected by my presence with a camera. And it's my entry at Lensday where this week's theme is "Candid."

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2006 James Jordan.