Piano Lesson

This Summer I thought I would take advantage of quality time that I've been given with the kids and begin giving them piano lessons. Our son has decided that he too wants to be a drummer, but here in Waukee, to play drums in the school band you need to have taken at least two years of piano. Our daughter has decided that she too will begin to play the flute next year, so we thought a good foundation in piano would be a great way to begin. Learning the piano just gives you a good overall view of music and how it works.

Currently the boy is up and practicing. We are on the 4th week of lessons and it's starting to get a bit challenging. We began with the right hand exercises, a five note scale starting on middle C, and have now moved on to the left hand, working our way down the keyboard, starting with G below middle C. He has the warm up down, those he can play, it's executing them into a song that's kicking his butt. Eight measures of an evil little ditty titled, "Love Me Tender." He'll play for a just a few minutes and right when it begins to challenge him, he'll ask if he can go back to the Warm Up exercises, those he can play. "No", I say, "keep working on the song. Each time you play it, it will get easier and easier as it goes." After struggling through a couple of measures, "Dad, can I just play the warm up excercises?" I finally had to sit down and explain, that practice isn't just about doing what comes easy to us, but practice is about working through those things that challenge us, slowly at first, but as we continue to practice, they eventually become easier. Each time we sit at the piano, those things that challenge us, become easier and easier to play.

While I was explaining practice to my son, It made me think how many times I've asked my Heavenly father if I can just go back to what's easy for me. Do I really have to work through the things that I struggle with? Can't I just go back and play the warm ups? I'm good at those.

I know what my "Love Me Tender" is. What's yours?

Tim