You'll have to excuse my tardiness. I've been meaning to post this for a while and am just now getting around to it...
A couple of weeks ago I had two of the best lessons I've had all semester with my
two Thursday girls. Awesome is literally the word. I've had both of these girls for two years... wow: two years now. I'm getting old...
My
first girl on Thursday afternoons is in eighth grade this year and
she's struggled with hand tremors the entire time I've had her as a
student. Her mom told me when we started that she's
had them since she was a little girl and the pediatrician had
told them they would eventually go away. And they did in a lot of things, but piano was still lagging, because it requires such fine motor skills and focused coordination. They've gotten better with time and practice, but recently
there has been a marked difference. Since March, I'd been determined to get them under control after the judge at Federation had made a comment on her score sheet about uneven runs. So
we worked. We focused a lot on scales and how to work on them: dotted,
backwards dotted, 5-finger scales in contrary motion to practice the LH
thumb turn, scale sprints. And we talked about what goes through her
brain when she's working on scales. I strongly encouraged her to focus
during her technical exercises and not just think about homework or
what's for dinner. It's so easy to check out while working on
technique... of all people, I know this.
But then during her lesson several weeks ago, she played them with the most control I've ever seen her play
them. There were a few blips...
instances where she lost focus, or made a fingering slip, or wasn't
thinking about what was next. But overall, it was pretty amazing to
watch. We talked afterward about how she'd been practicing and what
she'd been thinking about. Long story short? She'd learned how to literally focus the tremors out. I
find that incredible. I was so proud of her. I knew she could do it. And to be honest, I
hadn't really known for sure what would work for her. I knew where I
wanted her to be and I knew what had worked for me in straightening out
some of my scalar technique. I also knew that the fifty billion
different ways I gave her to practice her scales would help. But they
were a means to an end (still are!)... the end being learning how to
focus and think clearly during an activity that is otherwise difficult, dry, and
boring. Because I mean, who likes practicing scales? Well, besides my
former professor...
My other Thursday girl has made leaps and bounds of progress this semester too, and it really came out in her lesson a few weeks ago. This year she has
struggled in general with anxiety a little and from what I can tell, exhaustion at times too. Together, I think it has made piano (both performing and practice) difficult in ways that it didn't use to be for her.
But
then, she decided to drop tennis. And her scrapbooking club ended. And
basketball ended. And all of a sudden, the only activities she was
participating in were piano and Girls on the Run (and maybe Girl
Scouts?). Lessons for the last month have been truly delightful because she's been practicing more and therefore, enjoying it. She is more prepared for our
upcoming recital than ever before. And even though she played through a
panic attack last semester and I was so proud of her for working through
that insanely difficult thing at such a young age, I really think this is going to be a
different kind of positive experience for her. The other
night we were going over recital pieces, one of which will be "Little
Bunny Foo Foo," complete with narration and a POOF chord at the end. I fully expect it to be one of the highlights of the program :)
And
as we were ending her lesson that night, she told me that she'd been
practicing at school during her music time. Um, extra practice time?
Yes please! And then she told me she'd come up with an acronym for
piano, based on the things she'd been learning / realizing recently. If this doesn't kill you with
cuteness and profundity, I don't know what will... kids say the most incredible things.
P... prepared
I... independent
A... awesome (lol)
N... (k)nowledge (again... lol)
O... open to new songs (or, for Katie: Oh snap... that is hilarious and amazing)
Seriously? I am so. incredibly. lucky :)
