The piano - my labour of love (My Experience of Learning a Musical Instrument)

Member Name: apuskiduski

Product:	My Experience of Learning a Musical Instrument
Date:	02/03/09 (154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A sense of achievement

Disadvantages: I stress about it too much

I've always loved music and have been a member of some musical gathering or other since an early age. I had a talent for the subject, you could say, often singing the lead in productions at school, winning competitions and infamously getting kicked out of the recorder ensemble at primary school for playing by ear, dare I say. Mr Taylor, who secretly wanted to be Andre Previn, went berserk. "You have to read the music, otherwise when you make a mistake, and you surely will, you'll look foolish in front of the audience!" I can still hear him now.

But, I still loved my recorder and would sneakily take it to school, playing all the latest hits, from TV and Radio, in the school doorways. Mr Taylor had the gall to ask me what I was playing as I confidently belted out 'Eye Level', better known as the theme tune from Van Der Valk (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0O-2oAvNTo for a reminder of this classic show by the way).

He'd never even seen the programme and I was totally gobsmacked when, lo and behold, it was the opening tune in the summer concert. I didn't care much, however, as I was lead-singing Andy Williams' version of 'Moon River' with North Gawber Male Voice Choir, legends in their own lunchtime in Barnsley. Stuff you Mr Taylor!

It's sad to say that although I knew I was good at music, I became a total underachiever. I played cello for a year but gave that up as I felt I'd been coerced by my mother to follow the family tradition, so to speak. This had the knock on effect of me avoiding Music at O level too.

I did still enjoy performing in the choir and as part of the ensemble in musicals, but nothing as adventurous as I'd been prepared to do when I was younger.

I never showed any interest in learning to play the piano until I acquired my dad's piano, when his mother died. I had just started teaching and the 'resident' pianist was leaving to become a Head elsewhere. I took the "Junior Come and Praise" book home and taught myself twenty tunes in the six weeks before I started the job. It was a miracle from God no less! I couldn't believe it, I could actually play both hands together and it sounded good. Well, maybe not to my next door neighbour who was trying to get her 2 year old to sleep as I played "Give me Oil in My lamp Keep me Burning" for the umpteenth time! So, the kids at school sang these twenty tunes for a half term in assembly and I had to keep learning one or two a week to build my repertoire. It must have driven them nuts.

That was 22 years ago and I'm still having piano lessons once a fortnight. I have a brilliant teacher now, ironically called Mr Taylor - I hope he's no relation - who brings out the best in me and I've tried with the best will in the world to banish the memory of his evil predecessor. But I still have this nagging doubt that I am going to look stupid if I make a mistake in public. So, it may come as a surprise that I've started going through my Graded ABRSM exams.

I took grade 1 after 3 months of lessons and achieved a distinction. I wasn't at all nervous for this and felt quite proud of myself. Six months later I took Grade 2 and suddenly became a nervous wreck for no apparent reason, failing my well-perfected third piece totally. I passed the grade, but for me it was a bit of a disappointment. Last summer I tackled Grade 3 and passed with one mark off a Merit, so things are on the up again. My grade 4 is in 3 weeks and I'm a bit shaky on the scales and arpeggios now they involve hands together, but I know I'll be OK.

My kids laugh at me and ask why I put so much energy into getting worried. I can't answer that. I have a talented musical trio of daughters who are themselves taking Grade 7, 6 and 5 in cello, cello and violin respectively. They never get nervous for their exams - I don't know where they get it from. And before you ask, there was no coercion there, I promise.

During the past few years I've realised that I have a talent for teaching music as well as a love of performing and listening to it, so it's now my ambition to become a qualified music teacher and, as the nice Mr Taylor says, put him out of a job.
I'll have to see what happens. All I know is my labour of love with the piano has been a wonderful journey and I've enjoyed every minute of it from the hasty learning of tunes through necessity to the leisurely playing that I now do whenever I can.

Summary: I've finally hit the right note!