Erica age 10

30 Days of Erica age 10

Erica is now in the double digits.  Where has the time gone?  My baby girl is growing up too fast.

As I said earlier....Erica didn't love piano lessons.  She became intrigued with the Saxophone.  She  saw one of my church choir students playing a sax in a song that we did and she was hooked.  The player was a girl too.  She started asking to take sax lessons.
 
I listened to her and thought about it.  We waited out the summer and made sure she really wanted to take lessons.  We didn't want it to be a passing fad....that would be costly.  But....she was still intent on lessons.  So we rented a sax and signed her up for lessons in the Fall at GBC conservatory.  She fell in love with her teacher on the first lesson.  Her name was Ms Jennifer.  Erica practiced every day on her own....no prodding from me.  She started off like most beginners, honking and squeaking, but she NEVER gave up.  She worked really hard and before we knew it she had a pretty tone.

Then....her teacher was transferred out of town.  She was assigned to a new teacher.  She liked this teacher but not as much as her first teacher.  She still worked hard and never lost the passion.  She progressed pretty fast.  So...Larry and I decided to purchase a sax for her.  $$$$$$  When her rental was up for renewal...we checked and they had a great purchase price on it.  It was a BRAND new sax that was originally bought and returned new but they could now only sell it as used.   She had rented it for the fall semester so that money was applied to the purchase.  We had scored a great deal which helped us and her.

She kept getting better and better.  I figured the newness would wear off but it never did.

The following summer....she went to Choir Camp.  They had a talent show and I encouraged her to play her sax.  She decided to do just that.  I made her a "boogie woogie" background track and taught her a lead solo part to the song.  She learned it quickly and was comfortable with it.  So....that would be her talent.

We dressed her up as 50's and she really got into the "character " of the song.  She was the youngest in the talent show at Choir Camp.....and I was so proud of her.

Here is a picture of her "jamming" on her sax.  She got a standing ovation with her performance.  Guess what?   She WON an award.  She won MOST TALENTED CAMPER and received a medal on the last day.  She played really well and won the camp staff over with her performance.  I was so proud of my sweetie.  She set out to do this and she did it.

To this day...she still can pick up her sax and jam when she wants.  I am glad she knew what she wanted and stuck to it.  It gave her so much confidence and trained her ear, which made her a great musician....and she still in a great musician today.