Make music your New Life resolution

by Lorna Jane Norris
As the year turns we often find ourselves thinking about what we want to achieve over the next year. Sometimes it’s a practical and measurable goal, such as getting a new job, repainting the house, or losing ten pounds. There’s something about the New Year opportunity window, though, that invites us to consider creating more meaning in our lives; spending more time with loved ones, spending more time reading and less time on social media, or planting an herb garden.

At South Shore Conservatory (SSC), we always see an increase in inquiries for music lessons right after the New Year.  This year we’re making it easier for folks to get started by offering the first lesson for free through the end of February.  Music is just one of those beautiful things we all want to experience more of, isn’t it?

I love what visionary author Kurt Vonnegut said when asked to identify the single most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “My Lord, that’s a tough question because there is so much beauty, really; it’s what keeps me going in life, is just glimpsing beauty all the time. I suppose the most beautiful thing, although you can’t exactly see it, is music,” he answered.

Wow. Drop the mic. It’s important to point out here that Vonnegut was not a musician, but an author. You don’t have to be a musician to see the beauty in it, and you don’t have to be a musician to enjoy taking music lessons. In fact, that’s kind of the point of the lessons. When I read something like this, I feel so much gratitude for my music education and for the privilege of working at an organization whose mission is to change lives through music.

Another quote I find inspiring was in opera composer Jake Heggie’s address to the 2017 graduating class of Northwestern’s music school.  He told the graduates, “Music is essential – and it is essentially optimistic. It is about the future: the very best of what we can achieve together when we open our hearts and minds to strive for something great and seemingly unreachable. It is about the deepest stirrings in our hearts and souls. And people are absolutely starved for it.”

So, satisfy your hunger and schedule your or your child’s first private music lesson for free. Our placement team will get to know a little bit about you and your learning style, identify what you are looking for, and work to pair you up with a teacher to help you on your way. If you don’t know what instrument you would like to study (we include voice as an instrument), we can help with that too. SSC has 47 years of experience providing high quality music lessons to over 1000 students a week. You’ve got to admit that’s a lot of students!

Visit sscmusic.org or call 781-749-7565, ext. 37 before February 28 to take advantage of the free lesson. You can also find South Shore Conservatory on Facebook.  Don’t wait to make music your new life resolution!

Lorna Jane Norris is South Shore Conservatory’s Vice President of Education.