When our daughter graduated she did not have to study any of the verses that we made up songs for. She remembered them all. I began working with a new group of Stars this fall, and I didn’t document any of the songs that we used when Cherith was a student, so I’m starting all over again for most of them and trying to polish them up a little and put them on staff paper. I’m so THANKFUL that I finally got a classroom with a piano in it! As much as I appreciate the abundant supply of recorded music for kids that we have now, I think the church is at a loss that more people do not learn to play the piano (or guitar) anymore and that we use less acoustic instruments played by nonprofessional musicians. There used to be a piano in every classroom when I was growing up.

I think I read something like this was posted at the Desiring God website not too long ago: For some, singing (or playing an instrument) holds the danger of pride, but for most it is an opportunity to overcome pride. That is how it is for me. I’m a piano teacher, but I sure hit a lot of wrong notes trying to figure out chord charts and lead lines, yet the kids don’t seem to care one bit (they are young yet–4th grade–hopefully, they won’t mind when they get a little older).