screech out

At my daughter's Waldorf School, as at, I believe, virtually all Waldorf Schools, the children were expected to play a string instrument, have private lessons and be in the school's string ensemble.  On top of private school tuition, it was an added stretch to buy a cello and then pay for weekly cello lessons.

I tried to persuade my daughter to play the violin, because violins could be had for much less than cellos. I didn't try too hard. In Wally World, children are listened to. If she wanted to play a cello, she had to play a cello.



Our cello teacher, like most music teachers, held an annual recital.  At every recital, every one I attended for eight years, always includes a performance of Scotland's burning. Every child new at playing any string instrument, in our world, at least, learned to play Scotland's Burning, a song that might be beautiful when played by skilled string players.

If you don't know the tune or lyrics to Scotland's Burning, they go something like this, "Scotland's burning, Scotland's burning, reach out, reach out". When six and seven year olds, new to their instrument, play it, it goes more like this:  "Da dah, dah dah, screech out screech out."

Some parents of older children come late to miss the annual screech out and some of the other lower grades.  I thought it was wrong to miss any of the performance. It was as much about community and friendship as the music. Yes, hearing 'screech out' grated but if one looks beyond the struggling efforts to learn how to play beautiful music, one sees young beings leaning into music, leaning into acquiring new skills. One sees young children making willful choices. Human beings need to build their will capacity. Music lessons are a great way to build will, as well as learn how to play an instrument.

It is also good for the older children to hear the younger children play. This remind them of both their own early learning and how far they have come.

Each grade played the same song each year. I always felt the rythym of life in those string recitals, listening to each age group play the same thing each year, with each each group advancing from year to year.

As the children advanced as string players, the songs were more elaborate, better played and more pleasurable to hear.  I never tired of hearing the Scotland screech out piece played by very young musicians in their first year playing a string.

Some parents would duck out as soon as their children played. I thought those parents were wrong, to only show up for their child and then leave. If everyone did that, some children would have been playing to very small audiences.

It drove Rosie crazy when I insisted on arriving for the first piece and staying until the last. At first. She came to appreciate my reverence for seeing all the children at each phase of learning a string instrument.

I loved our cello recitals every spring.  I knew all the children from school, of any age. I loved them all. And I loved all the doting parents who thought their child playing songs like 'screech out' indicated musical genius. Some parents cringed along with each screechy wrong note. Some parents heard heavenly sound no matter how their child played.

I loved the whole spectacle but my favorite part was the doting parents. The children did not show a lot of loss as cello recitals. They were tense, the idea of performing a source of anxiety for most.


The parents, however, were all pride, love and happiness.

Unlike the parents who ducked in just for their child and then ducked out as soon as their child had performed, setting a poor example to their own children, I love it all.