lesson – Clara Hsu

The Last Lesson

Even though time ticks away in a constant tempo, sometimes it seems to accelerate. One moment I was teaching a willful teenager who was angry at everything, the next moment she is a young lady, sweet, graceful, graduating from high school.

We have certificates to show that she has indeed learned something from me, that I have taught her more than just counting one-and-two-and. In our last lesson she told me she has started a new piece, J.S. Bach’s Cappriccio in C minor. All through the years she has hated playing Bach, to the point that she managed to lose the book of Two-Part Inventions. I don’t know what happened, but I know it is not a change but an opening of the mind. It’s what gives me the greatest pleasure as a teacher.

A Treat

Despite this being the last day of the year, all my piano students except one came for their lessons. They seemed happy, relaxed. Maybe because they were still on winter break. And practiced too, so that a few of them actually made some good musical progress. Most of the year they came to their lessons yawning or sick. Kids work so hard when they’re in school. Three or four tests a week, book reports, projects on top of everything else. I felt sorry for them, but they just shrugged their shoulders. They learned from a young age life is work.

As a teacher I demand the same thing—practice, practice. But piano often loses out when pitted against schoolwork and I find myself a lone caller in the wild. “It’s OK,” I tell myself, “so long as they don’t hate coming to their lessons I’ve done my job.” And look, we had fun today. What a great way to end the year!

No Notes, Please

A violin student came into my studio for a lesson on singing and listening.

“I can’t sing.” He said sheepishly.

“Of course you can.” I said. “Sing with me.”

We matched pitches, going up and down the scale. His voice was shaky at first, but soon he was able to hold a note for a few seconds and hop up and down small intervals. A big smile spread across his face.

He didn’t know about the major musical periods. When I began to explain he took out his notebook and started writing.

“No notes, please.” I said. “Just listen.”

He was not used to doing that, and felt uncomfortable. He was a good student.

I played him examples: Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Gershwin. We talked about musical lines that run horizontally and chords that move a piece of music vertically. He asked questions now, of things he didn’t understand.

At the end of the lesson he didn’t want to leave. A good student. I look forward to seeing him next week.