The Next Generation

My son and his cousin are the same age.   It’s interesting to see the paths each are taking in their lives.  My son’s a musician; his cousin, an athlete, specifically a baseball player.

My son plays a variety of woodwind instruments.  He plays in an orchestra and a big band.  He plays well enough to have been taken under the wing of a couple musicians in the city symphony orchestra.  He does well enough in ensemble work, but sometimes gets frustrated when the first musician parts are given to others even though they have been playing longer and have more experience, though not necessarily the talent or drive he has.

He really excels in the small groups or combos and (considering his youth) has an uncanny talent for improvisation.  He’s also composes.  I think the struggle (if you call it that) is finding a middle ground for all this.  Every performer would like the opportunity to shine and be in the spotlight, but they also need to be a team player as well and work for the good of the piece.

My nephew is blossoming into a formidable pitcher.  In a game over the weekend, he was called into pitch because the starter was getting shelled unmercifully by the opposing team.  During his warm-ups, his pitchers were all over the place, high, in the dirt, wide to the left or right.  (If you forgive the arcane reference, it reminded me of the stories of Ryne Duren, a relief pitcher for the Yankees and Phillies from the “50’s.  He had bottle thick glasses and was also known to drink.  He would psych opposing batters by throwing his warm-up pitches at maximum velocity everywhere but over the plate until finally finding his control.)  Whether my nephew was doing this deliberately (he denies it), the first couple of batters approached the plate with a certain amount of trepidation.

My nephew got his team out of a bases-loaded jam and didn’t allow a hit for three innings.  He had some control issues that a good pitching coach should help fix, but at his age, he looks good.

As someone who had neither talent as an athlete or musician, it’s heartening to watch the next generation of kids nurture the gifts they do have.  From where I'm sitting, the future looks bright and interesting.