OK. It's VIOLA, not voilà, but the Boy likes to play around with his pronunciation when he talks about his instruments and his viola is no different - so we have come to accept that any word that starts with a V and likely ends in an A probably translates to viola.
This is the instrument that really started it all for the Boy. We had tried to tempt him with an electric key board several years prior to his start in the 5th Grade orchestra, but nothing truly took hold until he got his hands on his first viola. I will always remember how after getting in his viola practice minutes one afternoon, he came downstairs and pronounced that he thought he could play his viola music on his keyboard if he knew which notes were which on the piano.
So the viola was the stepping stone to learning the piano. In addition, his time at the piano eventually led him to the guitar. And who knows if the guitar will be just one more link in a chain of musical studies the Boy entertains?
But it STARTED with the viola and I am truly thankful that it did as our house has been full of music ever since and I treasure it beyond measure!
Our picture for today is the Boy's bright and shiny viola. For many years we rented a viola each school year for him. I didn't realize this when he joined the orchestra, but string instruments vary in size based on YOUR size - it's like finding a pair of shoes that fits. And the instruments grow along with the child, up to a point, of course. And that is why for many years it made more sense to rent rather than to buy.
But as the boy started to reach his adult size and remained committed to orchestra and his viola studies, we knew it was time for him to have an instrument that was truly his own. So one Christmas he opened a very small box left under the tree with a coupon for a trip to a string shop near Houston before he was to return to school for the spring semester.
He was very excited and the whole family packed up and made the drive to check out Lisle String Shop. When we left home, Wonder Dad and I were every bit as excited as the Boy. But as we neared the shop, Wonder Boy grew progressively quieter. And by the time we stepped through the doors of the shop, he had retreated completely into some self-conscious shell.
The shop attendant brought out several instruments for the Boy to sample and get a feel for which he liked best, but the more we tried to get him to play, the quieter he became and the more frustrated Wonder Dad and I became. A drive like this is not something we do on a whim. We have to arrange care for the dogs. We have to fight traffic and in this case, had to struggle with directions to an unfamiliar place in a construction area to boot. *sigh*
Tensions rose higher and higher until at last we were able to cajole the Boy to play enough to make an informed decision on which instrument would accompany him home.
The drive home was almost as strained as the time we had spent in the shop, but eventually, everyone relaxed and the concert that we enjoyed in the days remaining in the Christmas holidays almost made the struggle worth it all.
Seriously though, this instrument has a truly wonderful sound at the hands of our favorite musician. It is smooth and warm and inviting and once we were all able to put bruised feelings aside, we have all agreed that we are glad the Boy was able to upgrade his instrument!
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