The One with the Lifelong Piano Student

Since I finally started teaching piano lessons again this fall, I have been reminiscing about my own history of piano. 

Maybe this is in an effort to recall lessons I learned for the sake of keeping ahead of my students. 

Or maybe it's just because this grand and glorious instrument has always had a place in my life. 

I remember hopping up on the piano bench next to my momma or my grams. 

I thought my playing was superb.

They, of course, agreed.

I began taking piano lessons at age 8. 

This subject matter did not come easily for me--

most likely because math was (is) not my forte.

Yeah, can you believe it?? Music--the right brained freedom of artful expression is rooted in the left brained specifics of mathematics and logic. 

Grrr. 

I loved playing the piano.

I just hated practicing. 

My mother can attest to this. 

However, I always very strongly disliked having anyone play my piano better than me. 

Whenever my mom or a friend sat down to play, I was certain they were doing it to shame me. 

I realize now that this was likely not the case, 

but it did manage to kick my rear into gear a time or two. 

Though the ability was not natural, my musical ear was. 

I easily felt the right tempo and knew immediately if a wrong note had been played. 

This helped, but also frustrated me along the way. 

KNOWING I was wrong and not being able to play it better was just plain frustrating. 

Just six months after starting piano lessons, I began taking voice lessons from the same teacher. 

These came SO MUCH easier. 

There was nothing to it, really. 

The ease at which I learned to sing was only adding to my snail's pace advancement in piano.

Eventually, I pushed myself to improve and by senior year of high school, I was able to do a bit of accompanying for my school choir. 

I auditioned for a piano scholarship at Spring Arbor University (against my will--I knew I wasn't up to snuff).

I received a small scholarship and spent the next four years being challenged way beyond my comfort zone. 

My new instructor was loving and gifted, but was always pushing. 

For every semester's recital, I had to have my piece memorized. 

NOT a skill I had honed previously. 

I remember practicing in one of the many non-sound-proofed piano rooms and being ashamed at my playing in comparison with those piano students performing around me. 

I hoped no one would know it was me. :)

My sophomore year, I tackled Debussy's Clair de Lune and performed it from memory at the recital. 

That was my moment of glory. 

I was proud. so proud. 

Though my skills in classical music may not have heightened since my last lesson over 2 years ago, 

I have been reaping the benefits of those 14 years of piano lessons ever since. 

Each Sunday I play piano/keyboard along with the worship team for church. 

I have learned to improv from chords. 

I have been forced to understand key signatures to a greater degree.

My sight reading abilities have sky rocketed. 

I have to be ready and willing to play whatever, whenever.

And I look forward to continuing to teach students who are excited to learn. 

Teaching reinforces my knowledge of music to such an extent that I learn it twice as well as I had before. 

My students sometimes challenge my understanding and my memory and while it's a bit freaky it's also really great "exercise."

I don't know where I'll be--musically--in 10 or 20 years--but I pray I continue to use my abilities to glorify Jesus Christ. 

Because He's the whole point.