When I was a sophomore in college, I answered a classified ad in the campus newspaper and started teaching piano lessons at the W.O. Smith Music School. The school, named for [and founded in part by] a legendary Nashville jazz piano player, has offered musical instruction to low-income kids for 50 cents a lesson since its founding in 1986. I taught until 2000, when work and family intruded too much into my schedule, but I’ve been back teaching for the past 2 years. The school is a magical place.
Each year, the school holds a fundraiser called The Birdhouse Thing. It distributes plain wooden birdhouses to artists and country music celebrities, who decorate them, and then return them for auction. This year, I’ve been serving on the event committee, and I passed out a number of birdhouses to my artist friends. [Let me know if you want one...it is not quite too late, and I have a few extra!]
The 9yo convinced me that we should do houses too. I initially was reluctant — I didn’t think my long-dormant artistic skills were up to par. But then I came up with a theme: Blue sky shining on me. It all kind of fell into place from there.
See how it turned out! Just click the photo of the finished house to open the slideshow.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great job on the birdhouse!
WOW!! That is fantastic! If I’m able to make it to the event, I want to bid on yours! :)