Friday, September 2, 2011

Piano Lessons As An Adult

This last week I did something I have wanted to do for a long time. I started taking piano lessons. I have wanted to learn to play the piano since I was a teenager and even taught myself to play some songs on a friend's piano but I would love to learn how to play well.

I do realize as a busy mom of three I may never be able to devote the time and money to become a good piano player but I am excited to learn more. Before my first lesson I was a little nervous. I was supposed to have looked through my book and have practiced learning the notes but I had barely cracked open the book.

We were given a piano by Nate's grandmother so we are lucky enough to have a piano in the front room of our house. Since we just received the piano I asked the kids if they all wanted to take a month of lessons to see if they are interested or not. I was able to find a piano teacher on Craigslist that is relatively affordable and we alternate weeks between the 4 of us, 2 of us having a half hour lesson each week.

I played the clarinet for 5 years as a teenager and was fairly decent. I even played the bassoon for a year so I have experience in both treble and bass clef. It is sad for me to admit this but I remember very little from those years of note reading and music theory. I guess it really is "use or lose it" because I feel like most of it has been lost or at least shoved to the very back of my memory banks.

My first lesson went fairly well. I wasn't great but I moved at a much quicker pace than my kids so that is a good start. I made a lot of mistakes but hopefully will improve each week. The piano is a tricky instrument because there is a lot of stuff going on all at once. My assignment this week is to perfect three songs in my book, learn the bass and treble clef notes on the staff, and practice 15 minutes everyday. My teacher is a young college student who said, "I know you are a busy mom but if you can't find 15 minutes for yourself each day that is pretty sad". Isn't it true! I can find 15 minutes to practice each day, it is simply a matter of priorities.

I don't expect to become the next accomplished pianist but I am looking forward to learning something new and doing something for myself. I'll keep you updated on how it is going!

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your stopping by my blog and commenting.
Good for you for trying piano lessons! Fifteen minutes sounds easy but we're so conditioned to not take time for ourselves . . . I took piano for many years but haven't played since college. I never wanted to practice.
I loved your pictures of Yellowstone - my parents took us out there as kids. You kids will never forget it. :)

Gina said...

I taught adults piano lessons and they always did really well. I bet you will too!

Brittany Ann said...

I played flute and read music as a child. Early and every day, in fact. But now? I really don't know if I can play/read it anymore!

Lyryn said...

That's awesome, glad it went so well! :)

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

I had thought about doing piano lessons, but I can't hear a beat or the difference between most notes, so it was a fail. Good luck!

Angelia Sims said...

That is so cool! My dream was to learn photography and taking classes was tough, but sooo rewarding. I know you are going to do great!
Best of luck on learning those songs. :-) Maybe a vlog post soon???