My daughter's mind is made up: no more viola. It's a sad day for me, because I wanted her to continue and was hoping time would prompt her to do just that. But she has fulfilled her end of our bargain -- to finish her commitment to a second year --  and so, the viola case is closed.

I believe it's very important for children to have a music background. I know it will serve them well through school, and the rest of their lives. I wanted my daughter to not only appreciate music, but to read it, to play it, to feel it and to embrace it.

In second grade, she started piano lessons ... just like I did when I was that age and, believe it or not, with my first piano teacher.  But unlike my situation, the piano's appeal lasted only so long. What I stuck with through high school, she was done with by fourth grade. We made a deal that she complete the year before quitting but, on reflection, I'm not sure it was a wise move. Getting her to practice took nothing short of calling in the National Guard. Usually, it was accompanied by threats (mine) and tears (hers and sometimes mine). So what started as a pleasant adventure into the world of whole notes and scales and sheet music became nothing more than a horrific chore.

When she showed interest in the viola, I was thrilled. I'd played strings when I was younger, and thought that maybe the viola, not the piano, was her true musical calling. But by the second year of lessons, she wanted to stop. I pushed on. Surely, in time, she would find the joy I knew in instrumental music. But once again, the practicing became a grueling chore. She simply lacked the interest. But I held out hope when both her viola and music teachers encouraged her to continue, lauding her talents. But alas, it was to no avail. So she has put down the bow for a final time.

My daughter says she doesn't want to play viola because she doesn't like to practice. But that's not really true. She's diligent about her homework. The ballerina in her is never too tired to rehearse pirouettes at home.  Never does she complain about a "Nutcracker'' rehearsal or a dance class; rather, she is eager to get there. She is passionate about art and reading. She can't get enough.

I suppose the lesson here is more mine, than hers. I want her to play the piano. I want her to pratice the viola. And, I think if we were both honest, we know that she stuck with the instruments as long as she did because I wanted her to -- and she didn't want to disappoint me. Funny how we parents want our chess players to be football standouts, our soccer players to be thespians, our swimmers to play lacrosse. So I guess I'll let her be free to be who she is and if I can't let go of the viola, maybe I'm the one who should start the lessons.