By Sarah Schinstock,
member of St. Teresa Parish in Lincoln
My late mother bought me my first flute in 1988. I was getting ready to play in our little elementary school’s band, and she and I couldn’t wait for the start day in fifth grade.
Despite my enthusiasm, the “music” I played with that first flute always sounded terrible, even as my peers progressed. My mom and I were perplexed. Turns out, the newspaper-ad flute she bought me was deemed literally unplayable. At the music teacher’s urging, my mom put a brand-new flute on a layaway plan at our local music store.
I remember getting the new flute like it was yesterday: the burgundy velvet lining of the case, the pristine cleaning rod and cloth, and the best part— the glistening metal of that brand-new Yamaha flute. Little did I know at 10 years old, that that very flute would change my life.
I played my beloved flute all the way through elementary school. When I was in the seventh grade, I lost my mom to cancer. I don’t remember much about her funeral Mass at St. Mary Church in Lincoln, but I do remember the music. It drew me into the suffering heart of Jesus. Truth and beauty impacts memories for a lifetime.
My band teacher played her flute at my mother’s funeral. She accompanied the church organ, and the awe of her harmonies gave me comfort. She was a dear woman who gave of her time and art, selflessly. She and my mother had developed a friendship after the initial newspaper-flute debacle, and she told me that it was an honor to play for the funeral. And for the next few years, she went out of her way to guide me through my own grief. She was a joyful, fun, goofy sort, and she always had us smiling by the end of the band practice.
I made the decision to continue in the high school band at Pius X. With the security of my flute in hand, I walked into that auditorium the summer before my freshman year, and looked around at the people who would surround me for the next four years. I found my community. I found my people.
I was taught by my elementary school band teacher’s husband, who was strict, yet compassionate. He taught my friends and me to love music and to value our singular role in the success of the whole band. He taught us about not just playing the notes, or marching the right steps, or playing the right scale, but he taught us about life, and community.
I was never an accomplished athlete. I was somewhat shy. But band was my place in the hierarchy of high school. I found my solace there. It was my place to belong. I made lifelong friends in the walls of the bandroom.
In a recent article, the Mayo Clinic said instrumental and vocal music can help with mental health in children and teens. Music can bring calm, enjoyment and emotional connection to kids. And, I quote, “you don’t need to be good at music to get a lot out of it.”
Music has been shown to decrease anxiety, blood pressure, and pain symptoms. Music elevates mood, improves the quality of life, and even slows one’s heart rate. Music helps build emotional intelligence, and parents and educators can encourage kids to think about their emotions and how music might help them.
In a collaborative post, band directors were asked to summarize “in 20 words or less,” what band means to them. These are just a few of the submissions: “Band gives kids a place to belong.” “Band is a family.” “Band enhances creative thinking. It allows expression without words.” “Students in band learn so much more than music. They learn self discipline, team skills, goal setting and work ethic.” “It can be the area that shines for non academic students and enriches the lives of everyone.” “Music (is) an atmosphere where kids learn how to respectfully work together towards a goal that is bigger than themselves.” “Music helps educate the whole child, and improves brain function.” “Music is a foundational discipline that aids in the learning of all other subjects.”
Band changed my life. It gave me a family, a place to belong. It took me to different cities, even different states. It taught me how to perform to the best of my abilities. It gave me new experiences. It taught me critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, social skills, grit, showmanship, and how to move past failure and hone my craft. My music not only led to deeper human relationships, but drew me into a deeper relationship with our Lord. The wonder of producing music with my band family strengthened me in my faith life.
As I grew into adulthood, my younger sister also played the flute our mom bought. The instrument gave my sister a particular confidence. She played all through her educational career, and now is a band and vocal music teacher who is helping junior high and high school kids grow in their love for music. It seems that my little flute changed her life, too.
My sister is spending her summer preparing for the upcoming school year. Currently, music teachers across our Catholic Diocese of Lincoln are working during their summer vacations, too: hosting music camps, teaching lessons, finding music for August, planning their fall and spring programs, writing lesson plans, and creating marching formations. Given that fact, I would like to thank all the band and music teachers in our schools. It is not a well-known fact, but junior high band is not necessarily a built-in period of the day at our smaller schools.
Giving children the opportunity to benefit from music takes teachers and administrators working together, collaborating, and juggling multiple schedules to get students to band each week. This is no small task. We see you. We admire your dedication to your art. We benefit from your kindness and generosity with your time. We treasure your selfless giving. We appreciate all that you do to make these life skills possible for our kids.
The story of my beloved flute has not yet ended. My high school senior daughter played that very flute, from a granny she never knew. In a coincidence like God so often provides, my daughter’s beginning lessons were with my very first band teacher, even at a different parish school! She and her husband called our kids their “grand band-babies.” We had become a band family.
And my youngest daughter has declared that in three years, she will “play Mommy’s flute” in her fifth-grade band. Thank you to all teachers, parents, educators, administrators, and even grandparents, who make the love of music possible, and in turn, change lives.
