I love music - listening to it, that is. My parents' home was always filled with music. So is our home. My husband bought a new turntable at Christmas, and it is a treat. We have dug into our large collection of vinyl records and we are trying them out, from Pink Floyd to Tchaikovsky, with great enjoyment.

Today's (January 5) Bloganuary prompt is:

So, simply put: I wish I could play a musical instrument.

I watch musical performances with envy. Whether it is a rock musician digging into a guitar solo, or a classical violinist with eyes half-closed, the greatest musicians seem transported to another place while playing. I envy them being able to enter that zone.

I have been surrounded by musical people throughout my life. My husband himself used to play the trumpet. Our son developed a passion for the violin, and played really well from age five or six years old onwards (he learned the Suzuki method here in Jamaica). He enjoyed it thoroughly and I think it taught him focus and patience. In adulthood, he no longer plays but keeps talking about starting again.

Classical guitar master Andrés Segovia, looking young and dashing.

My brother still plays the guitar. He started on the cello for a while, but that was a struggle; I remember strange noises emitting from the living room when he was practicing. A former boyfriend used to play (and teach) classical guitar; he was a really gifted musician, and I learned to love Villa-Lobos and Segovia.

My father loved to play the piano. In the evenings, our home was always filled with Chopin, Rachmaninov - and quite often, a little bit of boogie woogie thrown in (Daddy loved Fats Waller). This was his pre-supper practice, for an hour or so. Sometimes there would be a sudden pause, with Daddy declaring that a particular piece was too difficult (I remember him wrestling with Scriabin) and shuffling his sheet music around to find something a little less challenging.

I miss those evenings. Now, happily, our Australian niece has inherited Daddy's sheet music, and she plays. So, it continues.

Listening to music is one thing. Playing is something I would love to have at least got started on, at some point in my life...

Jamaicans are wired for music. Here is a scene from the Fête de la Musique at the Alliance Française de la Jamaïque, several years ago. (My photo)