Dear Clarinet,
It was love at first sight back in that middle school band room. It may have taken awhile to find you, and yes, there were others before you (and after you), but you will always be my favorite — you will always be my instrument.
You have seen me at my worst, and you have seen me at my best. You were there for every note, as I practiced for hours and hours to get that one little passage just right. You stayed with me even when I didn't have time to practice. Shoot, you even stayed with me when I didn't play a single note for over two years, and you suffered with me as I tried to relearn the basics. You suffered with me through every long tone, squeak and crazy technical passage, but through it all, you have made me a better musician and a better person.
You taught me a whole new level of patience — all of that practicing can be long and boring, but you taught me that it's oh-so worth it in the end. You even taught me that it can be therapeutic. It's constant and repetitive, so even when my world is spinning out of control, the music is steady.
You gave me a deeper understanding of beauty, and you taught me how to create such beauty. You taught me how to be in the beauty. You also taught me what it means to truly be in the moment, and how to be fully present in the now. Each note requires my full attention, and I can't do that if I'm thinking about the notes I just played or the notes to come. The same goes for outside our little music bubble. You taught me how to see the big picture. Yes, I could play each note individually, but the music sounds so much better when I play the notes together in their full phrase, and when I play the phrases together in the full piece, the music sounds even better still. You taught me that I do need to focus on the individual notes for a little while, but if I never play them together in the big picture, I'll just get frustrated. So I must do the same with my life — think about the little things for a while, but step back to see how they fit in the grand design from time to time.
You have been with me through the tears and the smiles, the screams of frustration and the shouts of joy, and most importantly, the emotions that you helped me feel. You have been with me through so many amazing adventures. Well actually, you were the cause of those adventures — All State, college marching band and Symphony Band, the Rose Bowl, and so many others.
Thank you for all that you have done for me, and I look forward to our future endeavors.
Love,
Your Musician
