I heard back from Potential Teacher, and am excited to meet her.  She gave me a note of encouragement – “I’m sure you remember more than you think” – and it seems like the schedule I’m hoping for will suit her well. She comes recommended by friends whose daughter takes lessons from her.  They tell me one day we’ll do a duet.  That child is amazing – I can only hope they’re right.

Potential Teacher is ready to get my first lesson scheduled, so the ball is in my court – I need to get a violin.  Everyone’s recommending a violin shop in Roscoe Village that does rentals, so I think that’s my next stop.  The shop lets students apply 2 years of rental fees toward the eventual purchase of an instrument, and renting is definitely the way for students like me to go at first.

When I was 18 years old, I bought a violin on a payment plan from my hometown violin shop.  Apparently, I thought I would pick it up again and just start playing in my sleep – I took no steps to find a teacher, and at that time in my life I had some tendencies that made serious study of anything challenging.  Suffice to say, I stopped making payments and turned the instrument back into the shop with my tail between my legs.

I’ve carried that “defeat” around a bit, but it’s time to let it go – I’m a very different person these days, with a track record of serious study in multiple disciplines.  As my dad would say, “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Thanks for reading.

Ryan