I want to share a story that will amaze you. I learned how to play the piano!
Now for those who don’t know my family history I can say that my family is filled with talented musicians. My grandpa Benito played the percussion instruments masterfully. He would fill his cheeks with air like balloons and exhort wonderful melodies. My cousin Joanne Javien continues to dazzle the stage on Broadway. My older brother Kelvin played the violin and trumpet and my sister Yvonne played the violin too. I would say that my younger brother Joseph’s talent was in dancing.
For me, let’s see, I tried to play the clarinet and was ostracized by my family because I sounded like a dying seal. Then when I broke the reed I told my dad I didn’t want to play anymore. I thought I had broken an expensive piece. Little did I know that reeds where less than a dollar. I’m sure my family was thrilled that I threw in the towel. And for dancing, I don’t think so. That’s why I married Beth. She dances so good that it overshadows where I am lacking.
So what’s the big deal about me learning how to play the piano? It’s not so much that I learned but how I learned. How did learn? My little girl Jennilyn taught me.
Jennilyn’s been taking lessons now for over one year and she is growing so much in her talent. But we have a hard time getting her to practice. Every time we would ask her to practice she would give us an excuse. “I have a stomach ache! I’m sleepy! It’s hard! Or, “My legs hurt!” Oh man the whining would drive Beth and me nuts. Many times I just thought it would be better for her to quit than have to deal with enduring the never ending excuses and frustration it was causing in the house.
Then one day after reading the book “How to win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie I had an” aha!” moment. I realized that yelling and scolding wouldn’t make her want to play so instead I asked her if she could teach me. She was excited. She couldn’t wait.
Did I really want to learn to play the piano? Not really. I had many other things on my plate but if it got her to practice then I would do it. The first day she tried to teach me the notes and I fell asleep and was ready to throw that idea out the door. Then the next day she persisted on teaching me. “Daddy?” she said, “I thought I was going to teach you to play the piano?”
She got me there so I couldn’t weasel my way out. So I sat on the chair with her in my lap, she placed my fingers where they needed to go. Then I closed my eyes and asked her to push my fingers down two notes at a time. After I memorized those notes I would have her teach me another two until I completed the song. By the end of our 30 minute session she got me playing Happy Birthday! And on her 7th birthday I got to play it for my little girl.
Now that I’ve gotten involved with her learning it isn’t a chore. It is actually a moment of peace. I even find myself practicing when I am alone. When I press on the notes with my eyes closed and I can hear every note, I can feel my little girl’s love.
