I’ve just got off the phone with the mother of a student in my studio. I’ve been reflecting on my childhood experiences at the piano off the back of our conversation.
I remember being quite petrified sitting my Australian Music Examination Board exams year in, year out.
I would nervously wait underneath my teacher’s house. When it was my turn, I would slowly walk up the flight of stairs, wondering if I would be able to play my scales perfectly enough. When I got to the exam room, I would be required to sit at the keyboard, alone, with a perfect stranger who I was generally lucky to get a grunt of a greeting from. I really don’t think many of them loved their job.
Then, as if on cue, my hands would start sweating, so I knew I would have to be careful not to slip on the keys as I played,
My heart would start to race, pounding out of my chest.
My fingers felt as though they turned to jelly
every.single.time.
“Db major in contrary motion” the examiner would bark at me
“B minor hands together”
and so on.
I would play the four pieces I had been working on for 12 whole months to perfect for him and my two extra pieces, answer some general knowledge questions, a bit of aural work and it would be all over for another year.
Juxtapose this against my conversation with the mother of a student today.
She asked him if he wanted to commit to lessons for 2023. He said yes! She was thrilled because he explained to her that, even though he was going to be in his second last year of school next year, which meant that he was going to be really busy, that piano was where he relaxed!!
RELAXED!!!
The pressure of passing all those exams at age 9, 10, 11,12, 13 and onwards certainly wasn’t relaxing for me.
And here we have students who ENJOY their music.
CONNECT with their music.
LOVE their music.
SHOWCASE their music and use music to help them
RELAX (said in a high-pitched questioning tone)
How I wish this program was around when I was learning.
How I wish I could have played my pieces from memory without having to always peer at those black dots on the page.
How I wish I had been encouraged to improvise and compose
How I wish I had learnt my chords before scales – music theory would have made so much more sense
How I wish I had been in classes with other people who shared my interest in music.
How I wish I had developed a sense of FREEDOM at the keyboard in the same way I see my students play.
So naturally and with ease.
Well, it’s never too late.
I turned my musical self around.
You can too.
It does take work.
It’s worth it.
Email your best contact number to joanne@rhythmandtunes.com.au I will be in touch.