Growing up, I never had the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. However, that has not stopped me from learning music as an adult. For the past 11 years, Nicholas has been a student of the mandolin. I have been fortunate to take lessons with him, and I began to seriously study the mandolin about five years ago - first in Portland and here in Ann Arbor for the past two years.
Nicholas' talent and ability to understand and interpret music is quite amazing. However, I have been making progress and find it easier to keep up with him when we practice together or do our lesson with our teacher. In some ways, mandolin is an escape - 30 minutes each week when I try to focus on the song at hand and block everything else out. Some weeks that is easier than others, but I nearly always come out of our lessons feeling refreshed with a sense of purpose and accomplishment - not because I played perfectly, but rather because I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried!
I hope Nicholas and I continue mandolin for years to come. Maybe one day I will become an expert. Even if I don not, you can bet that I will try my best and have a lot of fun along the way!
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