After cutting the lawn I sat down for a well – earned rest in the shade of our umbrella to enjoy a cup of coffee. Suddenly from the next door I heard our teenager practicing on the piano. First the scales and then she went on to practice the set pieces which she would be playing in her grade 8 exam. It was indeed a pleasure not only to hear her playing, which seemed to be note perfect, but how she was interpreting the mood of the piece she was playing.
This reminded me many years ago of when my daughter was learning to play the piano. Her music teacher used to come to our home to give her the lesson. One day he came when I was at home and so I listened from the adjoining room. After the lesson, whilst accompanying the music teacher to his car, I remarked that I did not hear much of the piano being played. No, he replied, I spent the whole lesson talking to Anne about how to appreciate how light and shade is so important that as we play a piece of music, we try in our playing to bring out what the composer was trying to express when it was written.
When organists are given the hymns to play for a service, they always read through the words of each hymn so that when it is played the volume etc. can match the meaning of the words printed. Light and shade is so important, and it helps the congregation when singing to think of the meaning of what they are singing.
But also, as I sat drinking my coffee, I am looking at the flowers and roses in the garden. But if I concentrate at what I am looking at I can see each blade of grass and each petal of the rosebud. In fact, when I concentrate, I can appreciate much more. It is the same as when we listen to the birds singing. It is only when we concentrate, we can distinguish each note of the birdsong.
So, let us pray that we may try more often to concentrate more on what we are hearing, seeing, listening to, so that we may appreciate and experience life in all its fullness.