Adventures in Piano

So, Brandon and I are two card-carrying members of the "I quit taking piano lessons even though my parents told me I'd regret it someday" club.  We are both very musical, having been raised in families who are musical.  We dabbled in piano in our youth, sang in choir, and both played (very successfully, I might add) in both band and orchestra in our high school years.  Brandon went on to play trumpet in college and I played in the band my freshman year at Jewell as well.  We're not too proud to admit that despite these experiences, maybe, just MAYBE, we wish we'd stuck with the piano gig.

In looking at the official list of what good parents do (wink, wink), we decided that it would be prudent to enroll both the kids in piano lessons a year ago.  Little did we know that when a kid signs up for lessons, the parents are along for the ride in a BIG way.  We have spent the last year fighting over practice time, wiping away years (both mine and the kids') when frustration grew too much, haggling over theory exercises, and continually proclaiming the importance of this effort to kids who weren't all that excited about it (insert an apology to our parents here for all the kicking and screaming we did.  You know what they say about paybacks...).  We are only minimally ashamed to admit this experience culminated in Brandon and I initiating a MAJOR act of bribery.  The kids were promised a big reward for practicing a certain number of times without complaining or whining.  The money we spent on their reward was far worth maintaining what precious little of our sanity was left.  Hello, iPads.

We found a good teacher and survived the year.  In the process, we learned a lot about music and the challenge of having to be responsible for practicing along with the accountability of lessons proved to be a growth experience for us all.  The kids were able to progress well throughout the year and we really enjoyed their performances at the end of the year recital.   Connor played two pieces ("Pop Goes the Weasel" and "You and Me"), and Kylee performed "Zoo on Saturday" for her recital piece.  It was evident that the kids were excited to share their talent and result of their hard work with those who were on hand to listen.

This was the kids' first experience with solo performance and I think I was just as nervous as they were.  They both played their pieces from memorization and did a great job.  I was sitting over on the sidelines, holding their music just in case they needed it (shaking like a leaf, I might add), but they both made it through without needing help.  We were so proud of them!

Three little monkeys on recital day

Grandma Carlson

Grandpa and Grandma McKinney

Mrs. Kennedy, teacher

This experience was more than learning to play an instrument...it was about seeing hard work and discipline pay off, and conquering something that was new and intimidating to them.  They handled it like champs.

Will we take lessons again this year?  Probably not.  Do we hope the kids will continue playing on their own terms?  Absolutely.  The memory of our journey with piano will be tucked into our minds as a reflection of what hard work and dedication can blossom into.