Few things bring me more than joy than seeing a young person learning to play piano. I know this probably qualifies me for eternal nerd-dom, but when I was growing up, it was almost as exciting as Christmas morning to complete a piano lesson book and run to Johnson's music w/ mom and buy the next level. (If only the songwriting game was so linear.) And then in junior high when everybody else quit because they either hated it or were too busy chasing boys, I continued. Practicing and competing. And then in high school, I spent my summer afternoon in solitude up at the church sanctuary practicing and memorizing 30 piece Concerto pieces. Only to move to Nashville where....no one....reads.....music. Wouldn't ya know..
But then tonight I walked into my friend's house and her daughter, Caroline, was in her pj's and couldn't wait to play jingle bells for us. It truly takes me back to see notes on a page.
This summer I had lunch with my former piano instructor and she told me that students achieving less and less every year. She says that technology has given kids such a need for instant gratification that the concept of self-discipline and truly STUDYING something (like piano)--as opposed to just Googling something, has really hurt the arts. Anyway, it's just really inspiring to see young people who WANT to play and are EXCITED about it.
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