Friendship, My Trombone and I
As a teenager I performed with Junction. My trombone and I traveled all over the Midwest.
My trombone and I perform together in this German/American band in Europe.
My understanding of the cognitive tool of embodied thinking
Embodied thinking is the process of empathizing or reimagining yourself as someone or something else in order to gain a better understanding of the subject, system, or nature of the object.
Why did I choose my trombone as my embodiment?
I decided I would embody my trombone. It has been with me for more the fifty years. It is my friend. We have traveled the world together. We are beat up and worn. We have weathered the turbulence of life, but we can still make beautiful music together. My trombone is an extension of myself. My trombone has given me an identity in my life.
How did this understanding impacts my topic.
I love a quote of a chainsaw artist, ”There is a beautiful shape within this log. I need to carve it out so you can see it.” The same is true when playing an instrument. You may have a quality instrument a musical mind, but it still takes hours of practice to master an instrument, only then will others “see” the talents you have and take time to listen to the music you want to share.
The first time I saw my trombone, it sat lonely on the shelf of a music store. It had potential but needed someone to spend time with it. I too, had potential, but I needed a trombone. We were incomplete without each other. My parents were farmers. We were always in debt buying a farm, but they believed in me. They would buy me an instrument. The first two years of practicing was frustrating. I knew what my trombone should sound like, but what I heard was awful. After two years, when I was about to quit, something magical happened. Everything suddenly began to click. Breath control and the movement of the slide were synchronized. The sound we made together was beautiful! It was magical. We could now make music! People noticed. Things began to happen. Doors opened. Invitations to join musical groups received and accepted.
Throughout my life I have needed people to believe in me. My family, coaches, teachers and members of my community come to mind. These people will always be remembered as the cheerleaders of my musical success. I, as a music teacher, need to remember to be supportive, a cheerleader of my students' success.
The video below is a song I wrote.
This is what I think my trombone would sing to me.
This is what I think my trombone would sing to me.
The melody of "I Knew Ya Had It In Ya" is the same as "Up the Lazy River" by the Mill's Brothers 1930
“I Knew Ya Had It In Ya”
Written and Sung
by
My Trombone (Jim Ayres)
We started fifty years ago
when you were ten.
Our friendship it has lasted
through thick and thin.
We sounded pretty awful
at the start,
but you kept on a playin’
from your heart.
I feel your breath within me
and your hands so strong.
The confidence you give me
we can do no wrong.
The joy that music brings,
makes me want to sing.
I knew ya had it in ya.
I knew it all the time.
I knew ya had it in ya my friend.
Written and Sung
by
My Trombone (Jim Ayres)
We started fifty years ago
when you were ten.
Our friendship it has lasted
through thick and thin.
We sounded pretty awful
at the start,
but you kept on a playin’
from your heart.
I feel your breath within me
and your hands so strong.
The confidence you give me
we can do no wrong.
The joy that music brings,
makes me want to sing.
I knew ya had it in ya.
I knew it all the time.
I knew ya had it in ya my friend.
Friends for 50 years!