I am 64 and started cello, really started, in 2017 when I purchased a cello when we moved back to our house here in eastern USA after being in Vegas for three years. Beautiful drive from our house here to Vegas in Sept, and then back to here from Vegas in March or April, but it is a long drive. Feb 2017 we decided to wait for a break in the weather (snow) on our route back east and headed back, permanently, with our car loaded to the hilt. Made it in time for a snow storm the day after we got back!

Before we moved to Vegas, I had taken 3 months of cello with a 3 month leased cello (Sept-Nov). Turned it in after the 3 months. I really wanted to learn it, the violin and viola, but something did not feel right about it at the time. Was a good decision because in March 2014 we decided we would move to Vegas in Sept for 8-9 months out of the year. The cello would not have made a good neighbor in an apartment, and would not have fit in our car.

We moved back east permanently in Feb/March 2017. Two weeks later, my husband bought me a cello. Nice! I took lessons again from May 2018-Sept 2018. Then I bought a violin and viola. I am now taking violin lessons, but keeping up with cello and my instructor said I can call with any issues and we can have a lesson here and there. She is also going to have me work on a song once in a while that she is also doing and we will get together to play it. 

Why, at 64, am I now doing this? That is what my brothers and sisters asked, and some still do, and two of my three kids did at first. It is very simple.

I come from a large family, 6 brothers and 2 sisters. I always wanted to take music lessons when I was growing up, was really interested in stringed, but there were no teachers for that where I grew up. The other issue, there were 9 of us. You can’t let one get lessons and say “no” to the others, so that would have been really expensive, I did not ask.

When I was in high school a neighbor down the street said that I could have their piano if I helped rip wall paper off their walls. I did, after that, we were pushing that piano down the street to our house, literally. It had to go in the livingroom.

There was a lady who taught piano behind us, I started lessons. I was babysitting regularly at that time and used babysitting money. Turned out that practicing time was too limited. There was too much sports on TV, even back then before ESPN. Brothers complained if the Orioles were playng, the Yankees were playing, etc. Then it was the Steelers, Giants, Bills, etc. You get the picture. Baseball and basketball never ended, unlike football with the shorter season. I had to quit, remember, there were 6 boys! So, I was never able to learn an instrument even when I paid for lessons, or bought an instrument (bought a little red guitar with babysitting money, too). Not asking for boohoos, just explaing why it took so long. How I wished my brothers would all only have daughters! LOL

After my kiddos grew up and moved out, I was still wanting to learn, in 2013 the opportunity opened up timewise. That is when I leased the cello.

Now I am 64 and am doing it more seriously and have three stringed instruments. Why? I do not want to play the ”woulda, shoulda, coulda, and wish I hadda” game. I don’t want to be at the age my joints won’t let me and wish I had done this. I am having a great time and it feels so good to see that I can do this. I will do it until my joints won’t let me any longer.

I have so much support from my husband. He said that he wishes that I had started earlier. Vegas would have really been an issue if that was the case, so it was good I didn’t, at least that is what I tell myself. My husband even carved out a 1/8 or 1/16 size violin out of poplar and maple. He carved out a chinrest, made tuning pegs, has a tailpiece with fine tuners, bought the right size bow for it, he cut down old violin strings that I gave him, and put them on it. Very cute! Yes, it does play. ? It is sitting on our piano. Not the piano I was given back around 1968 for ripping wallpaper down. My niece has that one and she plays like you would not believe, but not in front of anyone. This is a digital one.

So, that is my story as to why I started so late. I absolutely love these instruments.