There have been so many memorable piano students that I have taught over the years. All of them have brought me many enjoyable moments. Today, I would like to share the story of one particular boy.
This boy, who I’ll refer to as George, began piano lessons with me when he was about 10 years old. I remember meeting his very direct and very nice mother. She explained to me that George was really keen to learn music in general. He liked all sorts of music and wanted to be able to play the piano and the guitar. George’s mother went on to explain that when he was born, there was a medical issue. George had suffered a stroke as a baby and as a result, he had a very weak left hand. Obviously he had had a lot of therapy in his ten years and there had been some improvement but his left hand was still very weak. His mother announced that since therapy had not strengthened his left hand enough and he loved music, she thought that learning the piano would be the very thing to strengthen his hand.
I agreed to teach George and I was confident that I could not only teach him the piano but I could slowly help his hand gain some muscle strength.
When George walked in for his very first lesson, I immediately noticed just how weak his left hand was. It was not deformed as such but the skin on his hand was too smooth, especially over the knuckles which indicated to me that his left hand had barely been used.
George was all smiles as we sat down at the piano. I explained to him that his Mum had filled me in about the weakness in his left hand and that we were going to work together so he could learn to play the piano.
Understandably, his progress was a lot slower than the average piano student but he was dedicated and he always practised what I asked him to. There were times when I’d smile at him and tell him that what he had practised was good but I needed more from him. He’d often reply with a smile and a look that told me he was ever so slightly protesting at what I was asking him to do, but then he would still do the work.
Gradually over time, his left hand improved. His music certainly improved but his left hand was finally getting the muscle strength that it needed. After about 6 months of lessons, he would fairly frequently come to his piano lessons and blurt out with excitement how he had had a breakthrough. Some times the breakthrough was about his piano playing technique and sometimes it was about being able to do something with his left hand that he had never been able to do before, such as carrying a book.
I taught George for about 3 years before his family moved and I couldn’t teach him anymore. At the beginning of his last lesson with me, his mother told me that playing the piano was indeed the ‘therapy’ he needed to get his hand working and although there was still some muscle weakness, his hand was much better.
George is one of those students that I remember a lot because of his unique circumstances. He was always happy and cheerful. The most important thing though was that he was always willing to do what I asked of him. He sometimes had the odd moment where he would wish that I would stop pushing him and then he’d take a deep breath and try to do exactly what I was asking for.
George wasn’t the fastest progressing piano student that I have ever taught, but he wasn’t the slowest either. Actually, it is so irrelevant how fast or slow his progress was because he didn’t just learn to play the piano, he learned how to get more use out of his left hand.
I am very pleased that I got to be the piano teacher that taught George. It was his efforts and his persistence that created all his success. He worked hard and he listened to me. He didn’t get annoyed, (like some kids do) when I told him that what he had practised was good but I wanted even more from him.
George learned to play the piano despite a very significant difficulty. He was successful because he chose to be successful. It wasn’t easy for him and although his lessons were always fun, I’m sure that there were hard moments for him when he was practising at home. His success wasn’t my doing, it was all his.
My point to sharing this story is that I realize that there can be many obstacles for people wanting to learn or return to playing the piano. Don’t let them be obstacles. Retirement is a great time to play the piano because you have less commitments and more time. Don’t put off your dream. Be like George.