Piano Man

I have been teaching piano lessons for a few years now, ever since Todd was a baby. I don't feel like I'm all that special as far as teachers go, but I do enjoy it. I think I am a reasonably-priced, fairly low-pressure teacher who works mostly with beginners. For some parents that is exactly what they are looking for. The boys are often in and out of the room occasionally interrupting me, but I still manage to make progress in the lessons. I have especially enjoyed teaching those students who come prepared and are excited about learning to play. What a joy they are.

I have one student who has given me the sweetest drawings with a message of "I love you" on the back. She also seems genuinely interested in learning to play, and has quite a bit of talent for her young age. You can bet that she has won me over!

However, the most rewarding student, by far, has been my own son Todd. I had always hoped that my boys would want to play the piano, and Todd has shown more interest in learning piano this last year. I would occasionally show him something about playing piano, but I was not consistent. I have been teaching a boy who is just one year older than Todd. The more Todd listened in on his lessons, the more confidence Todd gained that he could play the piano just as well. So I bought Todd the beginner books and started teaching him the lessons, though we were still very inconsistent. I did not want to push Todd, and I did not want to harp on him about practicing. I told Todd that I would give him a lesson as soon as he was ready with his theory work and songs. We averaged about one lesson per month. Things started to change in December. Todd was asking for lessons more frequently. He has been picking things up so quickly lately and has been breezing through his books. I think he may be partly motivated by his competitive spirit (he wants to pass up his peer). But I also think he is excited about the progress that he has been making. He understands the material, learns the songs quickly and has been gaining finger strength. And he knows that he is playing well. This week we have had four piano lessons, and Todd has been up at least twice this week practicing before 6:30 in the morning! I hope that Todd's desire to learn piano continues. I have enjoyed the little duets we have played together, and look forward to playing more with him.

We recorded a nice performance of "Go Tell It On the Mountain," but the video was too long and wouldn't post for me. I hope you enjoy this duet of "Yankee Doodle" instead. I love Todd's look of concentration!