Music theory has many life parallels

That last few weeks we have been doing a lot of assignments in music theory where we are given the soprano line and then we have to write 4 measures of 4 part harmony, with all the rules from the common practice period. I still am not quite sure of my knowledge of what the common practice period is, but I do know there are rules to follow. You can't write a piece of harmony with only a good ear. You need direction. Guidelines. Rules that make the harmony stronger.

Just like life. We are sent here as an infant, and we grow in steps. Learning from those who have already gone through the experience. Who have practiced daily the guidelines of life. Who seek for direction from an all seeing God. All of this to make our lives richer, stronger, and in harmony with all that surrounds us.

My teacher keeps reminding us that all this learning will pay off. He can harmonize a line in about 4 minutes. The last three assignments have taken me about 3 hours each. For four measures! I'm am in the infant stages of learning. He has been doing this for at least 30 yrs.

Just like life. You don't feed an infant a steak. A baby isn't born walking. Roll over, scoot, crawl, walk. This is what I am learning in writing music. If I want it bad enough I will be patient with the roll over, scoot, crawl, and walk system. It will come. Just like all things in life that come through perseverance and dedication.

As our assignments are handed back to us, our teacher has used his "magic red pen," as he calls it, to mark our mistakes. As we do more assignments, the idea is to have less red each time. He grades us on participation, and improvement, not how many red marks we get each time.

Just like life. Heavenly Father sent us down here knowing we would make mistakes. But he also knew we would make better choices if we would follow his teachings. Our mistakes would become less and less as we progress. He knew this. My teacher knows this.

The more we practice these rules, or guidelines, the stronger and richer we will be

Next time you hear a good hymn, listen to how the harmonies blend together. Then, think about how beautiful your life can be when you strive for harmony with all God has intended for you.