Admiring her talented neighbour who played the piano gracefully, she could only imagine herself on the bench someday. Fortunately, her neighbour was then her best friend of same age. Almost every afternoon after school, she would rush home and head straight to her neighbour’s house. Not for a little tea party activity, but to convince her best friend to play ‘Fur Elise‘ and ‘Greensleeves‘ over and over again.
“I would love to play the piano. I don’t mind not being a Yamaha music school student, just home lessons would be fine.” With $20 fee a month, her mother agreed. There she was, cycled a distance to her piano teacher’s home for an hour lesson, 2 days a week with 1 for lesson and 1 for practice. Never once she missed.
At Grade 3 over 2 years of lessons, she had 3 different teachers because none of them would tolerate her for not having a piano for practices. “We couldn’t afford a piano for you. It’s way too expensive. Besides, there isn’t any space at home.” – her father said. Life was difficult.
She gave up after, but not on her dream.
The above was a simple little childhood story I wanted to share.
At 29, I met my husband and shared so much about how beautiful it would be for me to play the piano. I visited Yamaha studio so frequently, admiring the students and …the range of elegantly displayed pianos. My husband presented me a piano after I completed my postgraduate studies.
Finally, I have a piano! – So much happy tears I could barely hold. The trouble was I didn’t remember how to play it anymore, after 20 years.
For subsequent 3 years apart from going through rat races of earning bucks amidst intense society, I picked up piano skills on my own with my very own piano. Just because I could still imagine myself on the bench, playing my two favourite songs.
Today, indeed I could.
It’s interesting how we could remember our childhood so vividly, and it has so much influence in our life. I came to realise how much passion and loyalty I have and determination I could possibly stretch just by keeping my piano dream alive.
I am an amateur in this field. Constantly admiring others, I wish my life was better and then I could have done better than this.
The fact is, I cannot change my past. Nevertheless, I did something to change my future. Certainly, I learned the hard way and this will influence the way I see the rest of my life.
Every time I play the piano, it has so much meaning beyond playing songs. It connects my past, present, and how I would like to see my future.
Photo by Jordan Whitfield
Keep your dreams alive its never too late to learn!!!
Yeah!