contents - Gallatin School of Individualized Study - New York ...

sandra guzmansandra guzman Finding Encouragement106The Sound of Musicwhen I was 14 years old, I played flute in a group in Peru. I loved to playflute. But my family was poor, and I didn’t have my own flute. I founda stick as long as the flute and practiced my finger movement with it. I imaginedthat I had one in my hand. When the group had a show, I had to use my friend’sflute. When I was playing, I felt the music; my heart was dancing with each tone.I listened to all the instruments around me as if I talked with my best friends. Myblood ran faster with each note; my body floated with each song. It was a beautifuland heavenly experience. After we finished the show, my reward was what I sawand heard: faces with big smiles; faces with teary eyes; the applause like drumbeats. I felt proud to give people a happy moment. But I needed to have my ownflute! I started to work overtime. Little by little, I saved money, and finally Ibought one. My flute wasn’t a new one, but for me it was my treasure.When I came to New York, the flute traveled with me. I dreamed ofcontinuing my playing, but here in New York all I could do was survive. I had toput my flute away. For a long, long time, my flute stayed silently inside the backcorner of a drawer.Years passed, and I started to study English with Ms. Wen. She introducedme to her husband, Mr. Baker, a very kind man and an excellent musician, whoinvited me to play with him at our class Thanksgiving party. I felt very emotionaljust thinking about my flute. I went back home planning to practice. When Iopened the drawer. . . Oh God, my flute looked so bad! Its body had lost its shine;its pads looked stiff; and its sound was like a last breath. “Oh!” I said. “How can Iplay with it? How? How?”I told my teacher about my flute. Mr. Baker took me with my flute to amusic store in Manhattan. A guy checked and blew my flute and said, “I can fixyour flute, and the cost will be 300 dollars.” “Three hundred dollars?!” I couldn’tbelieve it. Where could I get that money? My husband was the only one to havea job in my family. Now, like many working families, we were in a bad economic