Annabelle had always had musical aspirations. She dreamed of being a pop star. She just wanted to be on the stage and performing. Each spring when the local talent search began, she would beg her mother to let her enter, but each year her mother came up with some excuse not to let her.
Instead, Annabelle filled her time with other musical pursuits. Mainly, she joined the school choir. An added bonus was that she could miss school for some performances and practices.
Even though Annabelle had the dreams of being a world-famous star, she never had the discipline to learn her craft. In school, she never learned an instrument. She never learned to read music. And, if you asked her mother when Annabelle wasn’t around, she never learned to carry a tune at all.
But Annabelle never gave up hope. Everytime a song she liked came on the radio, she was instantly transported to a stage, in a fancy outfit, in front of thousands of fans who were chanting her name.
Two years later, Annabelle’s family moved. At her new school, Annabelle had to learn an instrument. She instantly wanted to learn guitar. All the successful pop stars knew how to play guitar! But since she had no experience, she was told to join the band instead. She chose a wind instrument, but was less than excited about it. She still didn’t learn how to actually read the music written on the page in front of her. Every time she was given a new piece of music to learn, she would write the name of the notes on the page and just look at the letters, not the actual notes. Annabelle thought she was well on her path to fulfilling her dream! First the oboe, then the world!
Once Annabelle was old enough to get a job, she started to save up her money. She had had enough of being just another regular girl. She needed to really get started on her dreams! She saved up her money and after a few months, she was able to buy her very own guitar. She had no idea how to play it, or even where to start, but she owned it!
Annabelle’s mother wanted to encourage her daughter. Even if she couldn’t sing, learning an instrument would be excellent for Annabelle. Her mother bought her a computer program that taught how to play guitar. Every day for a week Annabelle would spend an hour every day learning how to hold her fingers to play the chords. But then Annabelle realized that the strings hurt her fingers, and that she couldn’t stretch her fingers wide enough to play the chords, and about a thousand other excuses.
One day she decided to skip her guitar lesson. And that one day turned into a whole week. That week into months. And now that guitar that Annabelle was so proud to have bought, sits in the corner collecting dust. Just a small dusty reminder of childhood dreams.
No Love for Fatties 
I think we all have those dreams, where when we look closer at them, we realise they’re not something we actually want.
Debbie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes totally! Or, in Annabelle’s case, that we just aren’t willing to put in the work to get there haha it’s happened to me quite a few times!
LikeLike
I was never interested in playing any musical instrument. Fortunately we never had to take music in school. I can’t read it either but I love listening to it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had to learn the recorder in grade 3 or 4, but that was it. In grade 8 we moved and the new school I was at had band and strings, I wanted to play the violin but since I had never played before I was sent to band and picked up the flute, but just like Annabelle, I wrote the notes in and after that one year dropped it completely
LikeLiked by 1 person
This reads like a true story! Anyone you know?
Band started in 4th grade. Most of the girls picked flute. I was one of the only ones who stuck with it for a few years, and even had weekly private lessons. I had to skip lessons during 8th grade (out of the country and no classes for it) and by high school I was so out of practice I quit. My daughter too played flute starting in 3rd grade for several years, was good. But, the high school teacher said if she didn’t know her scales she couldn’t be in the class. The other teachers never taught scales just for the sake of scales! The high school students couldn’t read music, yet my daughter could! I’d bought her an expensive new flute for class too. My son tried violin for a year. Eeek… hearing those practices!
We always had a piano in the house, but I never learned to play. I wonder why not?
I think we all did play recorder too, in class, in 3rd grade.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha it wasn’t loosely based on my own experiences with music but not completely!
My mom played flute when I was younger so when I had to choose in grade 7 band I selected it thinking she could help if I had problems. But by then she hasn’t played in like 10 years so she was no help hehe she did take piano lessons for a few years but recently had a minor stroke and had to stop. She still has her piano though and plays randomly when she feels up to it
LikeLike
Boy, I think we have all done this with some type of hobby or project!
Beth
https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hehe very true! Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
Oboe is hard. I’m amazed she picked that instrument. Clarinet would have been easier 😉
LikeLike
Haha!! I’ll have to remember that for the next time I write a music themed story
LikeLike
Sometimes life takes left turns to Albuquerque as they say. I’ve crocheted all my life but can’t knit a stitch. And even have a set of knitting needles. Probably will just use them for shish-ka-bobs lol Great writing! Catching up after a hectic Monday.
Stephanie Finnell
@randallbychance from
Katy Trail Creations
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hehe I used to be the opposite! Knitting but not crochet, then I decided to teach myself how to crochet and I actually like it so much more than knitting!! Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
I wanted to learn guitar. I have one sitting in my office at the moment unplayed in two years…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m like the girl in the story – bought one in grade 11 or 12 with money from a job, tried it out for a few months, sold it to my brother who still has it and still plays it all the time lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s to get carried away and just want to do something for the sake of it and then in the end realize it just wasnt meant to be
LikeLiked by 1 person
haha this is so true! in many things not just learning how to play an instrument
LikeLiked by 1 person
*easy
LikeLiked by 1 person