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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jun 3, 2017 15:04:21 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2017 15:04:21 GMT -7
Jamie had finally cleared time in her schedule to have her violin lesson with Brandon, and she was oddly excited. After learning the girl she was writing letters to played the viola, Jamie was even more ready to learn how to play an instrument - as if playing a song for Andy wasn't already motivation enough. Jamie had spent some time in the library researching the violin as well as finding some books with sheet music in them. The books mostly seemed to be geared towards more advanced players, so at first Jamie had been hard-pressed to find a song that was simple enough, but after much searching, she had stumbled upon one. Amazing Grace wasn't a song that Jamie had ever expected to find in the magical world, since it was so religious and there seemed to be a stark lack of religion among wizards. But it was a simple song, and a song that Jamie liked, to boot. She had copied the page out of the book and was clutching it tightly to her chest. She felt a little strange coming into the Room of Requirement, and was almost afraid that she was going to run into Liona Zabini while waiting for her lesson. Luckily, the snake was nowhere in sight, and Jamie was able to slip into the room. There were two violins and two music stands in the room - one each for her and Brandon, presumably. Jamie was glad that the room seemed to be good at reading her subconscious requests, even when her conscious mind was distracted by other things. Jamie moved to the violin, picking it up carefully. She realized she didn't even know how to hold the bow, let alone how to play anything. This was going to be a long lesson.
@brandon
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jun 13, 2017 12:37:32 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2017 12:37:32 GMT -7
Brandon was on his way to the room of requirement to meet with Jamie again. He'd finally run into his friend a few weeks ago and she'd expressed an interest in playing an instrument, so they'd chosen the violin. Brandon was excited. He liked playing the violin, loved the sweet sounds that came from it when one knew what they were doing. Granted, getting to that point was often an adventure and took a bit of time, but Brandon always loved it when those around him expressed an interest in music. Even more than that, he thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to teach someone to play. Music was a part of his soul and he had a firm belief that it could help those who let it, that it soothed and calmed even the most pained beings.
He entered the room, smiling when he saw that Jamie was already there, holding a violin carefully. "You're early," he told her, though he was as well. Brandon didn't like to be late to anything. He was always a tad early to make sure that didn't happen. "So are you ready to start right off or do you want to talk through some things first?" Brandon wasn't quite sure how to teach someone, like if she would want him to introduce or just begin the teaching. It was a little awkward, but he hoped Jamie wouldn't mind that.
@jamie
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jun 14, 2017 9:24:14 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2017 9:24:14 GMT -7
Jamie didn’t have long to wait before Brandon came into the Room of Requirement, evidently having no trouble in finding it, or her. He commented that she was early, and Jamie nodded. “I wanted to make sure everything was set up correctly.” She said. If she hadn’t managed to get the room to give her a violin, then the whole endeavor would’ve been pointless. She also needed time to calm herself down and make sure that she had the music straightened out, but Brandon didn’t need to know that part. He asked if she wanted to start or go over some things first, and the Hufflepuff didn’t hesitate before answering. “Let’s just jump in.” Jamie said decisively. Going into something head-first wasn’t normally her favorite thing to do – she liked to look before she leapt – but she knew that if she let herself get too much in her head then she wouldn’t be doing anything productive with her fingers. That was why she had to distract herself before Quidditch matches, or she’d get too self-critical, which would then make her clumsy. “Can you start by showing me how to hold the bow?” Jamie asked sheepishly. Holding the violin made more sense, since there was a chin rest on the instrument and there were only so many ways that she could hold with her other hand so that the instrument was supported and she could reach all the strings. It was only the bow that really gave her trouble.
@brandon
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jun 15, 2017 18:27:05 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2017 18:27:05 GMT -7
He nodded when she said that she wanted to make sure everything was done correctly. That wasn't really something Brandon worried about, but that was because instruments were his life. Setting up with them took him just a short while and so being extra early to things like that didn't matter too much to him. However, he was impressed that Jamie was early. That showed that she really was interested and wanted to start things out right, which was a good thing. He nodded, "Well everything looks ready, so you did a good job," he complimented. Jamie said she wanted to jump in and Brandon nodded. He was about to tell her how to hold the violin, when she asked how she should hold the bow. Brandon nodded, "Alright, let's start there." He picked up his violin and bow, showing her both of them at the same time. "You want to make sure you're holding it gently with your fingers, like this," he demonstrated, then lowered his violin and bow and moved over to Jamie. "You go ahead and try and I'll correct you if you need it," Brandon encouraged with a smile.
@jamie
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jun 24, 2017 6:53:27 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2017 6:53:27 GMT -7
Jamie smiled at Brandon when he said that everything looked like it was set up correctly. That was a relief, because there wasn’t exactly that much to set up, and if she had managed to mess up, maybe she would need to consider her future as a musician. Brandon agreed with Jamie’s suggestion that they start by teaching her how to hold a bow, and Jamie watched him intently as he picked the bow up. One of the great things about playing Quidditch was that Jamie had a lot of kinesthetic awareness, and after seeing Brandon hold the bow correctly it was easy for her to wrap her fingers around it in the correct way, too. “Like this?” She asked after adjusting her grip slightly. Brandon had said that he was going to correct her, but it was still good to ask for confirmation, Jamie thought. “I figured out how to hold the violin.” She added so that Brandon knew she didn’t need instruction on that part. It was more figuring out which string was which note that she was going to need help with before she could begin playing for real.
@brandon
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jul 14, 2017 20:22:17 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2017 20:22:17 GMT -7
Brandon smiled and nodded when Jamie asked if she was holding the bow the right way. "Yeah, you've got it," he told her after looking closely. The form for holding one's bow and violin was important. If you did it wrong it could tire out your muscles a lot faster, which would make it harder to learn how to play. "How about let's start with some basic notes?" Brandon asked. He showed her where to put her fingers to make the normal notes without any flats and sharps, giving her time to repeat them before moving on. Once they went through C Major, he paused. "Am I going to fast for you?" Brandon had never really taught someone before, so he was nervous about that. "If I am, you can really just stop me at any time, you know."
@jamie
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jul 18, 2017 14:06:38 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2017 14:06:38 GMT -7
This was kind of a surreal experience, Jamie thought as Brandon began to show her the finger placements for different notes and different chords. When she had said that she wanted to learn the violin, it had felt kind of like a dream, or something that she’d do in another life. Now she was actually doing it, though, and Jamie was just the slightest bit scared, in addition to being excited beyond belief. Brandon asked if he was going too fast, and Jamie shook her head. “Go faster, if you want!” She encouraged. Jamie was absorbing all of the information fairly well, since she had a strong kinesthetic memory and Brandon was helping her place her fingers in the correct place. “This is really cool, so it’s keeping my attention easily.” Jamie was a good student, but even she had an easier time learning things when she was excited for them, and after just the beginning of her violin lesson, she was becoming rapidly more excited. “Maybe I’ll become a music virtuoso like you, Brandon.” Jamie said with a laugh. She didn’t think that was actually going to happen, since she had to sit down and be taught to learn an instrument, unlike Brandon, but it was fun to pretend.
@brandon
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jul 20, 2017 15:52:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2017 15:52:23 GMT -7
Jamie was picking things up quite quickly, it seemed and Brandon was proud of her. Most people didn't seem to take the violin up so fast, which made it exciting. He nodded to her, "Alright then," and proceeded to show her more notes and where the fingers went. He was glad it kept her attention. Before long, he'd shown her the main notes. He paused for a second, looking at her. "So ... if I play a song using the notes I showed you, do you want to try and follow along?" He didn't know if that made sense, but hoped it did. If he played a note until she joined in on the same one, they could get a song out, which was always a good thing to do on the first lesson, according to Brandon. It build self-confidence. "You are picking it up quickly, Jamie. I'm actually really impressed," he responded when she teased him about being a music virtuoso. He didn't mind. Music was his life. It was him, and he had no problem admitting that.
@jamie
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jul 21, 2017 16:14:06 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2017 16:14:06 GMT -7
Brandon continued to show her the notes, and Jamie continued to keep up surprisingly well. She hadn’t been expecting things to go poorly, exactly, but she hadn’t thought that she’d be this good at it either. Brandon then suggested playing a song and having her follow along, and Jamie considered asking him to just go straight ahead with the song that she had brought sheet music for. Maybe he had an idea for a simpler song to begin with, though, so Jamie didn’t want to step on his toes. “Let’s try it!” Jamie said. She wasn’t sure how easy it would be, since finger movements were easier when Brandon was physically moving her fingers for her, but throwing herself in headfirst had been working for her so far, so why not continue to try it. Brandon said that she was picking up the music really well, and Jamie grinned at him. She trusted Brandon’s opinion on music more than most people, so to have him say that she was picking things up quickly meant a lot. And him being impressed? That meant even more. “I just have a really great teacher.” Jamie said, turning the compliment on its head so that it was one for Brandon. This was turning out to be a great lesson.
@brandon
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jul 24, 2017 16:44:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2017 16:44:51 GMT -7
Brandon was surprised by how well this was going. It wasn't that he didn't expect Jamie to do well, she was just doing better than he expected. That was definitely a good thing. She seemed very excited with the idea of playing a song so soon and Brandon smiled back at her, "Great! Are there any songs you have in mind?" Brandon could think of a bunch of songs off the top of his head, but he also knew that people learned faster when they were doing something they actually wanted to do, and he wanted this lesson with Jamie to be a success. She attributed her success to him and Brandon shrugged, "Having a good reached doesn't help everyone," he commented off hand. Really, he wanted Jamie to be proud of herself. She deserved it. "So you really should be proud of yourself." He smiled and nodded, feeling as though he explained himself well enough.
@jamie
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Jul 29, 2017 10:52:01 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2017 10:52:01 GMT -7
Brandon asked if she had any song suggestions, and Jamie practically beamed at him. “Have you heard the song Amazing Grace? I want to play that for a friend of mine.” She explained. Jamie produced the sheet music that she had been holding onto. “I, uh, found the music for it.” She admitted sheepishly, not wanting to seem overconfident in that she had been expecting to play a song during her first lesson, but also not wanting to make Brandon go through the extra work of figuring out the notes or whatever he would have done if she didn’t have the music ready. Brandon made a comment about a good teacher not helping everyone, and Jamie shrugged absently. “Maybe it can’t make bad musicians into stellar ones, but it can make passable musicians into good ones.” Jamie said, counting herself as “passable” only because she was passable at just about everything, and only stellar in a few. “I’ll be proud when I know this song.” Jamie said, setting her mouth in a stubborn line as she waited for Brandon to begin the song she had chosen.
@brandon
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Aug 3, 2017 13:30:58 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 13:30:58 GMT -7
Jamie was grinning at him and Brandon was glad. He liked the fact that she was enjoying this lesson and that she still was so enthusiastic. Not everyone would be so excited to learn a song after spending such a long time focusing on the notes. He nodded when she asked if he knew "Amazing Grace." "Yes, I do," he confirmed instantly. "I'm sure we can learn it. Maybe not all of it today though ... but we'll give it a shot." Jamie pulled out a sheet of music and Brandon's smile widened. "If everyone came to lessons so prepared, it would definitely make teaching easier," he complimented her. He took the music and looked at it, glad that Jamie picked a relatively simple version of the piece. That would make the whole process of learning it shorter. "You'll learn it, Jamie. And I'm sure you'll be a fine musician," Brandon complimented as he pulled his own violin into position. "Alright, so you want to start like this, with your bow like so," he demonstrated, slowly moving through the notes of the song as he showed her how to pull the bow so it made the best sound. Jamie was a good student.
@jamie
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Aug 4, 2017 13:51:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 13:51:23 GMT -7
Jamie continued to beam at Brandon when he said that he did know Amazing Grace. That made everything even better! She couldn’t believe that it had taken so long for her to ask him to learn an instrument, because this was a lot of fun, and she felt like it was helping her understand Brandon a lot more, too. She understood why he would want to give up the chance to have a “real” job that people expected him to have. Even this little taste of music was euphoric, and Jamie didn’t even love music as much as Brandon did. To spend your entire life getting to feel this way, or the same way but ten times as strong, was definitely appealing. Maybe it would wear off, Jamie thought, but she definitely hoped it didn’t. Brandon seemed pleased that she had the sheet music with her, and her smile split even wider. Her cheeks were starting to hurt a little, but who cared? Brandon seemed to think that the piece was well within her skill level, too, which was good. “I don’t think that just one song will be enough.” Jamie admitted. It had been her intention to just learn one song really well, but she had definitely caught the music bug. Jamie copied Brandon’s hands and the angle of his bow as he showed her the first note of Amazing Grace, and continued to watch as they moved through the whole song, note by painstaking note.
@brandon
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Aug 4, 2017 16:05:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2017 16:05:23 GMT -7
Jamie was obviously enjoying this chance to learn about music with Brandon and he was glad. Her enthusiasm was contagious, not that he wasn't always enthusiastic when it came to music. Still, when one thought of music lessons they thought of people who wanted to learn, but didn't want to put the effort into it. Jamie was obviously not that type. She wanted to learn and she was willing to practice, Brandon was sure of it, even though he didn't ask her yet. Also, she as learning quickly. When she said she didn't think one song would be enough, Brandon grinned, knowing he was right. "That's what happens when you get really into it," he told her with a smile. "And it's no problem. I can teach you as many songs as you want and teach you how to figure them out yourself." Reading music wasn't as easy as playing it, in Brandon's opinion, but if Jamie was as dedicated as it seemed she was, he would teach her. The song took forever, but also no time. When it was over, he lowered the violin and looked at Jamie. "Do you want to go through it again or save that for another time?" He asked. Brandon could play all day, but not everyone was like that. He didn't want to make Jamie stay longer than she wanted.
@jamie
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last online May 14, 2024 20:11:08 GMT -7
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Aug 7, 2017 11:40:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2017 11:40:51 GMT -7
Jamie had never doubted that Brandon would understand her newly-acquired thirst for music, but she was still glad when he seemed to commiserate with her happiness and her desire for more. Jamie was particularly excited by the idea of learning how to read sheet music on her own, so that even when Brandon was busy with other things she could continue exploring the world of music. And she’d be able to find a song to play for him that he didn’t know she knew about! Playing songs for people was honestly one of Jamie’s greatest goals in learning music. What good was it if it couldn’t be shared? After they finished playing the song, Brandon asked whether or not she wanted to go through it again, and Jamie hesitated. She really wanted to – she longed to, really – but there was so much else she had to do… “Just once more.” She decided. “Then I should get back to reality.” She said with a sigh. Jamie had found another reason to love music: it was an escape from the world.
@brandon
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