Henry Ossawa Tanner
The Banjo Lesson, 1893
Oil on canvas
49 × 35.5 inches/124.5 × 90.2 cm
(Hampton University Museum, Hampton, VA)
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An 18 x 25 inch canvas print of this painting rests on the mantel in our living room. Hopefully, it is the first thing every guest sees upon entering our home.
The eye of a trained painter would be able to point out all the subtle techniques Tanner used to tell the story of slavery and poverty in America, and the painting certainly has influenced the way I see the world in light of these realities. However, what first drew me to this work was the tenderness of the moment he captured of one generation passing the gift of music to another.
Pianist Kristi Lee knows well the work and care involved in passing the gift of music on to the next generations. Her warm smile and gentle guidance overshadow the fact that she herself is an excellent pianist and possesses a keen sense of business acumen. She not only fosters a love of music, but fosters a sense of community. She has built her studio based on her conviction that learning is a community effort that in turn results in strengthening the community.
Kristi’s gentleness and joy highlight the fact that she herself is a disciple. She shows an eagerness to learn, whether challenging herself to master new piano pieces or serving in places where she feels less equipped, such as on the worship team. She brings this humble approach to all areas of life. She not only seeks to grow as a musician, but as a friend, wife, mother, neighbor, and leader. This is because she walks humbly as a disciple of Jesus, the one she knows as the giver of all good things, including music. She also knows that she only plays a part in the wider community of God's church.
Discipleship is an art form rarely expressed well. It is easy to gain an audience to showcase your own talent; it is far more difficult to gain an audience for the unformed talent of others. Just as the older man in Tanner’s painting is shadowed behind the young boy, so Kristi remains in the background of the growing talents and joy of accomplishment in her students, her children, her husband, and her friends. This humility is rooted in her desire to exalt another above herself in all that she does, because as a disciple of Christ, she works to showcase the goodness of God in the lives of others. The way she honors others promotes God's good gift of community as well.
Approaching all of life in this way takes a “humble confidence,” to use her words. Humble under Christ’s lordship and confident in his work, Kristi aspires to possess this trait whether she is teaching or being taught. The beauty is that I think she already does.
Thank you, friend, for discipling others to humbly and confidently love music, and learning, and the Lord, just as you do.
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