All This and A Yellow Bird Too

I dropped off Monte at the surgery center for an out-patient procedure and had a couple of hours to wander. I love towns in the early morning, still sleepy-eyed, shops not yet open, a certain kind of light. Now and then a gardener nodded, or a dog-walker passed, but the streets were mostly empty. More than once, I stopped to marvel at a burst of bougainvillea, or the way the mountains loomed in the distant haze above the rooftops and steeples. Sometimes aromas of coffee and bakery goods tugged at me, but I strode along, enjoying the loveliness of Santa Barbara waking up, grateful to be present.

I passed a church, a Buddhist center, a Quaker meeting room. A cat peered out a window through an opening in the drapes, the shadows of wrought iron gates made patterns on the sidewalk, a blackbird posed by a bright red door. I saw stacks of clay pots on display in a shop not yet open, stared at the curious statuary inhabitants of various front yards, and pondered a large RV with the word “Love” spray painted across it in bold pink graffiti style lettering adorned with teal vines. But I finally stopped to peer deeply into a place called Yellow Bird Music. It called to me, its doors open wide, its interior walls bright yellow. There were painted birds within, and guitars and drums, and a friendly human named Alexandra Adams who didn’t mind me taking a picture.

“What is this place?” I asked, already enchanted.

The short answer: it’s a music studio. It’s a place where children come to play music, not just for lessons, but for joy. Children of all ages learn to play guitar and ukulele here, and they sing, and they dabble in musical theater, and it seems to me there’s a kind of magic to it. Parents and children were beginning to arrive while I was talking to Alex, and their enthusiasm was palpable.

Alex has a B.A. degree from UCSB in both Music and Drama and is active locally as a vocalist, guitarist and song writer. Through her teaching experience she has had the pleasure of watching countless children grow through music. “The effect that music has on a child is one of the most positive and creative methods of self-discovery I have seen,” says Alex. “It’s an honor and a privilege for me to have such a career.”

I was thinking of the poet William Stafford, (as I often do) who said of kids that they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music. And I was thinking of my grandson Felix, who cannot hear even a snippet of music without swaying or moving his hands or in some other way expressing the sheer exuberance we so often lose as we get older. And I felt very grateful for this Yellow Bird, and for all places that honor the creative expression of children, and recognize that music is utterly essential.