Music is a magic beyond all that we do here*

You know that scene in Harry Potter when the young Harry Potter, newly cognizant of his magical powers, goes to buy his wand? The wizened wand-granting wizard tells him, "It isn't the wizard who chooses the wand. The wand chooses the wizard."

That's how I felt this weekend when I decided to buy a new baton. I've used the same one for 3 years now, and it was simply one of many which my undergraduate professor had purchased in bulk for our introductory conducting class.

I decided that, as a graduate student in my field, I ought to buy a customized baton for myself, as a sort of early graduation gift ... something incredibly special and meaningful to mark my progress in my education thus far. The one I've used has been a faithful companion, but I decided I deserved one that really fit me as an individual- length, material, weight, etc.

I picked up a pretty one with a flatter rosewood handle when I first went to the vendor. I preferred it to the others, more because of the beautiful color than the weight. (Oak and some zebra-patterned wood were lighter and possibly more suited for my chosen field, and a less-pretty dark wood was heavier.) At the encouragement of the salesperson, I tried the others (they were all the same price) but I just didn't like the colors, and the oak felt too light, as though I were simply holding air. The dark wood was too heavy, and I imagined that I felt it bringing my whole arm down.

I wandered to another part of the vendor where the batons had the same types of wood for the handles, but these handles were in a bulb-like shape. I picked up the oak and conducted passages from some of my repertoire. Still too light.

The moment I touched the rosewood, bulb-shaped handle baton, my hand instinctively knew. I half-expected sparks to fly out of the tip or for a miraculous light to appear when I caressed the silent melody in the air with the baton. I went back to the others, just to test them, to make sure that I wasn't basing my decision on what I found to be simply more visually appealing, but somehow I couldn't shake the feeling that that particular wand (ahem, baton) was intended for me.

So I splurged and bought that baton along with a nice little canvas carrying case as my current dinky plastic case is cracked and the end pieces for the tube keep falling off. I would have loved to invest in a lovely wooden case, but $80+ was out of my price range ... and I don't have the degree (or an income from a real job) yet. :-)


Silly note: Sometimes when I'm conducting, especially when the music is of a light, detached nature, I imagine the "Swish and flick" wand technique when the students are trying to cast the Wingardium leviosa spell to make objects levitate. It makes me smile every time. :)

*Title is a quote of Dumbledore's. :-)