An Exercise in Humility...

I can remember that it seemed like EVERYONE took piano lessons when I was a kid. And, almost always, they HATED it. Hated everything about it... lessons, practice, recitals. I suppose to a child there are a million better things to do than sit in front of a big wooden box and pluck out melodies on black & white keys. Well... I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I wish my parents had forced me to take piano when I was younger. If they had, I wouldn't be writing this post.

I love music. There are feelings and emotions that can only be conveyed through music... sometimes mere words just don't hack it. I always have music on... the radio/CDs/iPod while driving in the car, iPod while working out, iTunes on my laptop while cooking/cleaning, XM Radio through my TV while getting ready for work in the morning. Music is an addiction for me. I also love to sing. I'm no Celine Dion but I do just fine. :) All of this being said, I've always wanted to be able to play the piano.

I've been dancing hula with some friends for over a year now and just a couple of months ago one of my friends, Sheila, brought one of her close friends, Amy, to check it out. Amy was instantly hooked and now comes regularly. Two weeks ago, after practice, she was discussing piano lessons with Sheila. Come to find out... she teaches piano as a small side job. I immediately told her about my dream to learn piano and she told me she had an opening on Mondays. Right now, time isn't as much an issue for me as money is so I jokingly said, "So... I'll teach you hula and you'll teach me piano?" AND SHE SAID IT WAS A DEAL!

So yesterday was the first lesson of the season. Every first Monday of the month is a group lesson. It was great. There I was with two 5 year olds, two 6 year olds, two 9 year olds, and two 12 year olds. Each month Amy spotlights a different composer during our group lesson. Yesterday we learned all about George Handel and his music. It was fun and informative! Then we set goals for the semester (til December). I'm supposed to get to pg. 21 in my lesson book and (this may be a stretch) I'm hoping to be able to play either "Away in a Manger" or "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Christmas.

Finally, we picked out songs for our Halloween recital... That's right... In two months I will get up in front of a bunch of people (predominantly the parents of the other students) and play a song. Amy picked out mine first. She said it would be good because I don't have to have mastered sight reading in order to play it. It's called "The Haunted Clock" and it is embarrassingly easy. To add insult to injury, she assigned the two 5 year olds more difficult songs. Awesome... Oh well, you have to start somewhere... and apparently in this case, it's the bottom! :)

Although I'm not thrilled about being shown up by "little people"/my fellow classmates, I am SO excited about learning to play. Hopefully, I'll take to the piano like a duck to water and blow everyone else out of the water with my inspiring interpretation of "THE HAUNTED CLOCK"... A girl can dream, can't she?