How Tchaikovsky's ballet suites changed my life

My story begins when I reached 5th grade in school and 11 years old.

That year in my life was a very significant one because we moved in a different area and had to change school as well.

As you can imagine that poses a lot of difficulties to a child.

I had to start over meeting new friends, familiarizing myself with the new environment, neighborhood, school.

It wasn't easy you know.

Children can be very tough sometimes. When they make friends it is very hard for the new kid to blend in their companies.

And since I was a very good student who adored school (one day I even cried because the headmaster told us we didn't have lessons that day because our teacher was on strike) sometimes they even mocked me.

The thing that helped me get over this stage was the discovery of classical music.

One day our teacher Mr. George( I forgot his last name) let us hear The

Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites - Swan Lake; Sleeping Beauty; The Nutcracker

and while we were listening he told us about classical music, the composer and some information about these specific pieces.

His lessons continued for the whole month that followed.

Once a week he would let us hear and then we would talk about what we heard. If you ask me how this helped me I don't know what to answer.

However, since then I have stopped being bothered about my classmates' behavior and started to be more sociable.

Eventually, I managed to blend in and made some new friends.

Of course, I asked my teacher to record me a tape with these pieces and from then on whenever I felt down I just listened to it and with my imagination was lost in new worlds; I felt as if I was a part in the stories.

I am sure by now you have understood that I fell in love with classical music.

I couldn't afford then to buy my music and I used to ask whoever I knew had this kind of music at home to record for me some.

After some years I have managed to obtain about 20 tapes with classical music and I have worn them up listening to them all the time.

When I got into university in 2000 and started working part time at the same time I finally could afford to buy my music.

Can you guess what I have bought first, can't you?

Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites - Swan Lake; Sleeping Beauty; The Nutcracker

Now that I have become a mother, I am trying to install my love for classical music to my children as well.

Both to my daughter and son since they were in my belly I let them hear this wonderful music.

I think I maybe succeeded because my daughter often asks me things about the music we are listening and the other day we were talking about what she would want for her name celebration she asked for a classic guitar.

Let's see what will happen in the future.

Since Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The nutcracker are composed for ballet let us enjoy some wonderful perfomances I have found.