| As the back to school flyers pour in and
| |
| | resulted in me me giving up from
|
| I visually digest the crisp images of
| |
| | breathless frustration.As the burly piano
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| mechanical pencils and Shrek lunch boxes,
| |
| | movers heaved the massive antique into
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| I am compelled to seek out new learning
| |
| | place, one of them wheezed,
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| opportunities to make the rainy dying
| |
| | “Someone had better learn to play
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| days of summer a smooth transition into
| |
| | this thing.” Though I was down with
|
| winter.Between Toastmasters Club,
| |
| | a gawdawful flu the day the piano
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| community orchestras, night classes at
| |
| | arrived, I played it for hours at a time,
|
| the local community college and a botched
| |
| | ignoring my 39-degree fever and
|
| attempt at learning saxophone five
| |
| | laryngitis.I started with the basics:
|
| autumns past, I have realised my
| |
| | “Twinkle Twinkle” and
|
| school-aged programming has left a
| |
| | “Mary had a Little Lamb.” Ok,
|
| permanent impression: I see brown leaves
| |
| | I have no pride.I found the whole
|
| and I run for the nearest sign-up sheet.I
| |
| | “two hand, two clef” concept
|
| decided this year, after having delved
| |
| | a bit of a hurdle, like severing one half
|
| into expensive hobbies and projects
| |
| | of my brain from the other then asking
|
| started and soon abandoned, to limit my
| |
| | them to co-operate. After three days of
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| fall learning frenzies to those
| |
| | inspired practice (and cold leftovers for
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| activities which are affordable, work
| |
| | dinner) things seemed to click and other
|
| well with my busy life as a wife and
| |
| | songs flowed more easily.I've discovered
|
| mother and which I am sure I will stick
| |
| | I'm really good at this, a real natural!
|
| to long-term.So I went out and bought a
| |
| | I play a wicked two-handed “Chicken
|
| piano.Affordable? Not really. It set us
| |
| | Dance” and I'm pretty solid at the
|
| back from buying a new couch, but as I
| |
| | first page of Beethoven's
|
| explained to my loved ones that if you
| |
| | “Moonlight” Sonata. Ok,
|
| dexterously avoid the gaping holes and
| |
| | fifteen years of violin playing and a
|
| sharp jutting springs, the existing couch
| |
| | college music education probably has
|
| really is quite comfortable.Non-intrusive
| |
| | something to do with that, but let me
|
| to family life? The thing takes up half
| |
| | dream!In the past learning a new
|
| of my living room and almost all of my
| |
| | instrument, or anything new for that
|
| attention, resulting in several burned
| |
| | matter, was unbearably frustrating
|
| suppers, neglected piles of dishes and
| |
| | because didn't like feeling like a
|
| ignored phone calls. Things of little
| |
| | “beginner” and set
|
| importance when I am immersed in a snappy
| |
| | unachievable goals. I enjoy playing piano
|
| rendition of “Polly Wolly
| |
| | far too much to wreck it with guilt or
|
| Doodle.”Which leads to the last
| |
| | self-doubt, so I am softening my
|
| criteria: Will I stick with it long-term?
| |
| | expectations and have surrendered to my
|
| You betcha!To be honest, I did not expect
| |
| | vulnerability in starting over again.
|
| this new musical venture to be this
| |
| | This humbling experience has gained me
|
| successful. I've always wanted a piano in
| |
| | far more respect for my students who,
|
| my home; my German heritage nagging,
| |
| | like me, are beginners in an
|
| “it's not home unless it's got a
| |
| | instrument.It feels like I'm back in
|
| piano.” As a violinist and violin
| |
| | school again with all the other kids,
|
| junkie I've never much cared for piano
| |
| | learning and growing with my mechanical
|
| music (I know I'll get heat from my
| |
| | pencil and lunch box, singing
|
| piano-playing colleagues for that one).I
| |
| | “Poll-y Woll-y Doo-dle all the
|
| figured I'd noodle around on it here and
| |
| | Day!”**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee
|
| there, waiting until my preschool-aged
| |
| | Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and
|
| son was taking lessons for it to be
| |
| | music teacher who has enjoyed creative
|
| studied on, as my past ventures in new
| |
| | writing for years. She writes for two
|
| instruments (saxophone, bagpipes and
| |
| | Canadian publications and Australia's
|
| other instruments that require air)
| |
| | "Music Teacher Magazine.
|
