This weekend I've been teaching one of my adult beginners' workshops. Undoing the damage of past musical misery, and unlocking the pianistic talents of those who thought adults can't learn the piano.
Very satisfying, by the way. Fun for me - work - but FUN work.
As always I am amazed at human adaptability. The amazing becomes normal, and then not good enough so quickly.
Total beginners arrive at the Workshop, in many cases unable to read a note of music. By lunchtime on the first day they can find any note on written music and on the keyboard. They're pretty excited. That evening they can play at least one song hands-together, and can vamp some chords. They are frustrated by not being able to do it better.
By the second morning, they are still excited, but disappointed they can't play "better". By lunchtime they're annoyed that they can't instantly play every chord ever written: only a lot of them.
Our inner-critic is a powerful force and it always says: "Is that it?")
But I do love to see perseverence rewarded. I hope that most of the workshop attendees go away feeling that if they apply a sensible strategy they will be able to work things out. "One damn note after another" is virtually never a sensible strategy by the way.
I love meeting and working with people who have decided to "go for it" and achieve their ambition to learn a new skill. That never gets old.
This is post 11 of 100 posts in 100 days
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