Dear Friends!
 
Is there anything more exciting than seeing a group of  enthusiastic faces, (especially these wee faces) passionate to grab on to a new idea and jump into a whole new venture???  To embrace new ideas and lift their hearts in song!!!  No, I think not!  You have been a huge part of making today happen… and we want to share!
 
Our flutes (mysteriously – where had they been for the past week????) showed up on the counter at the neighboring general store/Post Office early Thursday morning.  When we finally cleared up the paperwork/GST, etc., we were able to bring them "home". Rather than open them and clinically categorize them in the school office,  I insisted that we unwrap them in the classroom so we could all gather around the table and peer into this average-sized box, full of bubble wrap and small shapes, light of weight and unassuming…. UNTIL we SHED the wrappings, unearthing INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL CRAFTSMANSHIP, rich in grain, vibrant cedar color, each adorned with a single small circle of turquoise, and endowed with  incredible sound…. we lay our "infants" upon a large, soft blanket, upon the table, with the sides of the blanket rolled up so the flutes wouldn't roll off.  The children's faces were alive and alight with the thrill…..looking around at them, as they stood in that circle of wonder, gazing upon these incredible instruments – this beautiful, beautiful wood….. seeing the children gaze with such hope and excitement , I could not help the tears from coming to my eyes, nor squelch the lump in my throat… how can it be that beauty and joy can also be painful?  The children smiled at me, I smiled at them, blinking back tears… and we moved on with our day… sharing in each moment!
 
One by one, the children stepped forward and chose the instrument they thought would best suit them, their size, their fingers…  We explored the realm of the flute in those moments… talked about the chambers, looked at the craftsmanship, noted the numbers of the flutes, the names (Little Bird – Bm, Little Horse – Am, and Le Mita Cola – Gm), the craftspeople who had constructed them, we talked of turquoise, the bird and the nest, the sounds… we listened to the sounds, the breath… life…and glowingly tried a few tunes. I am told these keys will not play well  together… but be that as it may, for this magic moment… the flutes were joined in song and melded as one circle of sound!  Every child was gifted their flute (on loan) until the end of the year… and they moved away in pockets of musicians, into areas of the classroom so that they could test them out.  They wandered about for those few moments, flutes cradled in their arms, against their necks and bodies, as if embracing a long lost friend…several named their flutes, "Buddy, Turqui (turquoise), Bucky, Bluebird, (Aspen Wolf – mine) etc." and could not/would not be separated from their "new friends" for the rest of the day.  Fortunately, I had the class for most of the day, anyway… so we could spend time becoming acquainted with our new art and ourselves as the new musicians in a new realm.  The growth curve, had to be approximately 350% on this first day!!!  One can speak of these things, but sometimes until we hold in our hands and hearts, the concept of that which we are seeking, we do not understand…. now we ALL understand!  And we LEARN…soon to SHARE!
 
We have democratically adopted the name, "Peaceful Night Flute Circle" at this point… and everyone, for now, is evolving at their own rate.  I did supply sheet music of everyday songs, ie. Happy Birthday, Kum Ba Ya, for those who were tentative, or wanted something concrete to look at and with which to work.  We listened to the CD of flute instruction…and we tested out techniques.  Several there are, who can trill, already.  One boy discovered his own version of a loon's call… several softly try out their own songs… while some are just trying to make their fingers completely cover the holes and get any sound out at all!  They are learning to work with the bird on its nest… the jump of unexpected octave breaths….aaah, the journey…
 
Through the day, one of the girls, and her friend, grew and transitioned into an accomplished flutist already.  She quickly transferred over all of her recorder songs from our classes this year, she brought into play those songs she had already figured out, and she was playing everything she could get her hands on or think of… with her friend following not far behind.  Soon, they were standing, face to face, flute to flute, sending the incredible sounds of the Le Mita Cola Gm flutes to the air and to those standing nearby.  This same girl, in grade six, envied me the songs, my own songs, with which I play my songbird E flute, not quite understanding that she, herself, has played within a few short hours, what I could not and did not know how to play in my first year!!! 
 
The children grew silent as I tried out a few notes  on my new flute and they listened… and we introduced Aspen Wolf to Cedar Songbird… they, the children, were delighted!!! 🙂  I laid my new aspen flute aside, after briefly testing it out….because now was not my time… this was their time… and we went on through the new dawn of learning to explore our flute souls… beginning already on our collaborative project "The Cherokee Morning Song" with which we will salute the Sun's arrival on many a day this spring…
 
Whenever I left the room, I could hear the soft sound of flutes emitting quietly from the classroom… and one of our substitute teachers wandered through with her serene smile, commenting, "This is not a sound I'd ever grow tired of".
 
We are BLESSED!  We are THANKFUL!   We are EAGER to BEGIN our journey as flutists of the PEACE…  Join us, won't you –  in thought, in heart, in hope, in song…  🙂