I will be taking the piano qualifying test this evening. And I am already experiencing butterflies in my stomach. Each time whenever there is a test or audition or performance, I will always feel queasy before the event. Not a good thing, no wonder I never do that well!
Ironically, I used to hate playing the piano and electone. In fact, I hated all the enrichment lessons my parents signed me up for. I guess that is the mentality of almost every kid, who only wanted to play and refused to do anything else.
I hated practising, and my mum had to sit by me every night, supervising me in my playing. I remember I had to play at least an hour per instrument per night! My dad had taken some keyboard lessons before, but my mum did not, so she could only supervise me according to what she learnt from the teacher when she accompanied me for lessons.
There were times when I refused to practise, and my mum and I would quarrel over it. There were times when I told her I wanted to drop, but she scolded me of not having enough determination and discipline to see things through.
Despite that I always scored the best amongst my classmates in the music examinations, and my late teacher used to commend that I was the most talented of her students, I still felt playing the instruments were nothing but chores.
Until the year I was ten. There was a major performance organised by the music school. I was asked to play the hardest piece on the electone. It was a group performance, so I played the melody and two others played the chords and pedal respectively.
Then there was a special performance at the end of the concert, and I was asked to play an individual piece on the piano. I still remember that piece was the simplified version of Mozart's Concerto in C.
Of course, my mum and my late teacher made me go for extra lessons in order to give a good performance. And that was the turning point. I fell in love with performing, classical music, and playing the instruments.
That was when I realise that knowing how to play instruments is not such a bad thing. Since then, my late teacher kept giving me opportunities to perform, whether in competitions or promotions, group or individual.
And that was when I started to really have a passion for all the enrichment courses my parents sent me to. It is good to keep one's passions burning, especially since I have lost a lot of time in the past due to my bad procrastination habit.
Ironically, I used to hate playing the piano and electone. In fact, I hated all the enrichment lessons my parents signed me up for. I guess that is the mentality of almost every kid, who only wanted to play and refused to do anything else.
I hated practising, and my mum had to sit by me every night, supervising me in my playing. I remember I had to play at least an hour per instrument per night! My dad had taken some keyboard lessons before, but my mum did not, so she could only supervise me according to what she learnt from the teacher when she accompanied me for lessons.
There were times when I refused to practise, and my mum and I would quarrel over it. There were times when I told her I wanted to drop, but she scolded me of not having enough determination and discipline to see things through.
Despite that I always scored the best amongst my classmates in the music examinations, and my late teacher used to commend that I was the most talented of her students, I still felt playing the instruments were nothing but chores.
Until the year I was ten. There was a major performance organised by the music school. I was asked to play the hardest piece on the electone. It was a group performance, so I played the melody and two others played the chords and pedal respectively.
Then there was a special performance at the end of the concert, and I was asked to play an individual piece on the piano. I still remember that piece was the simplified version of Mozart's Concerto in C.
Of course, my mum and my late teacher made me go for extra lessons in order to give a good performance. And that was the turning point. I fell in love with performing, classical music, and playing the instruments.
That was when I realise that knowing how to play instruments is not such a bad thing. Since then, my late teacher kept giving me opportunities to perform, whether in competitions or promotions, group or individual.
And that was when I started to really have a passion for all the enrichment courses my parents sent me to. It is good to keep one's passions burning, especially since I have lost a lot of time in the past due to my bad procrastination habit.
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