The Lesson

Last night, I took my youngest son, N, to his piano lesson. His teacher has a real gift for understanding the personalities of her students. When she points out a mistake, she is careful to always preface it with all things that he'd done correctly. N tends to be pretty hard on himself so it's important to remind him that one little mistake does not mean it was horrible. Sadly, she's not around when he's practicing during the week - without her helpful affirmations each misplayed note often reduces him to tears.

The lesson is 45 minutes long. At the midway point they typically take a break and do something "non-piano" for a few minutes. Sometimes, she has him clap rhythms or identify notes from flash cards or just jump up and down for awhile. She's taught long enough to know when a kid needs to change gears. Last night, she proposed they do some singing for their break. In the past, N had told her that he didn't like to sing. She asked him to try it anyway, just this once. N agreed - she can truly work magic.

For the next few minutes, she sang various combinations of "do-re-me" and N then echoed them back to her. N's pitch was spot-on and she praised his "lovely tone". He soaked up the compliment and was obviously enjoying himself. The "break" went longer than usual as she switched to playing notes on the piano to which N would then identify and sing the proper "do-re-me" etc.. It was enjoyable to see his confidence grow.

We left the lesson feeling good.  He's always in a good mood after his piano lesson - 45 minutes of affirmation will do that for you, better than any therapist. As I drove home, I was treated to him singing about the car, the lesson, the streets. When we got home, he sat down to work on a pile of homework. He sang about math, he sang about reading, he sang about everything.

That piano lesson was worth every penny.