Emma Vance received a gift certificate to The Music Class from a couple of her little friends for her birthday. (What a FABULOUS idea, by the way!) Last year I wanted to do some sort of music lessons, but between being pregnant and then having a newborn, we’ve been delaying. However, life is beginning to get its own rhythm with fall just around the corner, and as soon as we opened her certificate, I was eager to sign her up. Today was our first class, and I took a big lesson away with us when we left.
There was singing and dancing and drumming and all sorts of amazing outlets for my artistic little child to explore. Of course she refused to sit still, and while the other children patiently sat in their mothers’ laps, E.V. ran around the circle as if we were all playing a wonderful game of Duck-Duck-Goose. (And somehow she always managed to be “it!” Ha!) However, I was happy because she was happy, and her lack of focus didn’t bother me all too much. I did walk away with my wild toddler in tow and realize that this year, with all our new activities (a daytime bible study, two days of preschool and music lessons), my goal for E.V. is going to be to develop creative discipline.
There’s not a shadow of doubt in my mind that Emma Vance will grow up with a passion for the arts, and so I believe that it’s my job to help her focus and learn to have a balance between open-minded, free-spiritedness and the necessary skills needed to focus and accomplish goals. Anyone who works in the creative field knows that art in a vacuum is not art and that being creative without being able to apply it within the context of the real world is a waste. This year, at the whopping age of TWO, I’m going to help E.V. begin to find that balance, and we’re going to start by sitting in my lap during music class. Sounds doable, right? ;)