My Piano Teacher is...

persistent

Yes, that is the word for it. You see...I have a slight problem when it comes to performing. Yes, I am fine going on a stage with big bright lights that practically blind you with a good one hundred to two hundred people watching your every move. Yes, that's right, I am fine with that. But what I can't  do is stand is going in front of twenty or so people in an informal recital and just playing a simple song on the piano.

I know, I know...this is just a crazy little quirk of mine. You see the difference is simple, when I am dancing on stage, I have my friends there to back me up if anything goes wrong. But with the piano...it's just me and the instrument. The instrument is my friend but it wouldn't knock me back to my senses if I freeze up like my friend had to do to me once. To me that just sends shivers down my spine. This is I believe has become the quest of my piano teacher...

 Today, I was just finishing a piece that I had been working on for weeks. It sounded good till the end, you see, at the end it picks up speed and it takes most of my concentration to get it sound right. That day I was tired. What is the first thing to go out the window when I am tired? Concentration and alertness. Yep that's right. So when the end came I realized something was terribly wrong.

My left hand was off from my right hand. Notes were going every which way, I believe I threw in a few of my own and to top it all of I forgot the music. Of course the sheet music was right in front of me but do I ever look at it? Nnnooooo.....not me! I had the piece *memorized*.

Anyway, after the...mashing ending, I looked at my teacher and replied, "Something was seriously off." (Not like I was saying that the whole time that I was playing the ending mind you)

She looked at me gently, "The beginning was wonderful, I just when I was starting to think recital it fell apart. Maybe try again."

I resume the position on the bench and played the first couple notes when I heard her say, "Did you hear me? I said recital."

I replied, almost reaching a crescendo (loud point) in the music, "Yeah, I heard you."

She smiled, (I think she knew what I was about to do and timed it right) "What do you think?"

That second I slammed the keys down (the correct ones), blasting the room the noise.

She laughed, "I assume that's 'no'"

"Yep I think that your right."

Summary: I am happy that my teacher has a sense of humor