Piano Lessons & Recitals As A Kid...

CindyLouWho

CindyLouWho

Senior Member
Location
USA
My train of thought today for whatever reason?.......the Cat Stevens song, "Morning Has Broken" popped into my head today and then it triggered a memory that I had to play that at a piano recital as a kid. I remember having to play Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Beethoven's Fur Eloise, music from Fiddler On The Roof......etc....

Geez, I really liked the piano lessons ( took lessons for 6 years or so), and really liked my piano teacher, but, those piano recitals always made me nervous. Always a few playing so much better, and then the few that maybe their parents made them take lessons.....

I still have that same piano and all my piano books, from Beginner to Advanced. (Oh, & my Metronome...tick-tock, tick-tock.... somewhere). Its a sentimental piece of "furniture" for sure......I'm glad I still have it.

Did anyone else take piano lessons? Did you enjoy or dread the piano recitals?
 

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I did take some piano lessons for about a year in Taiwan when my dad was still in the military and we lived there on base and I attended a Catholic school where military families could send their kids to a Baptist school or a small part of a Catholic school where it was a college for young Taiwanese women. The piano lessons just came with it. and we actually had recitals for a few of the programs we had for the military parents. I remember playing "On Roller Skates". That never went any farther for me after moving from there. That was such a happy time. I even choreographed a dance for the younger students. I always thought how it could have been such a happier life for me other than for children who grow up that way moving from place to place every year. That really should be outlawed. That is just not right.
 
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took piano lessons for 2 years aged 26 and 27.reached grade 4.
i was taught in a very old fashioned British clasical style. struggled with motivation to be honest.
then recital with kids. i was the only adult student.
i froze half way thru. walked off stage to muffled aplause and never played piano again.
 

Not piano, but the vertical version 😀.. accordion. My Russian family (grandparents) thought it would be 'adorable' if I learned to play. I absolutely hated every minute of it. But it helped me play the piano in later years. ...for pleasure.
 
hypochondriac said:
took piano lessons for 2 years aged 26 and 27.reached grade 4.
i was taught in a very old fashioned British clasical style. struggled with motivation to be honest.
then recital with kids. i was the only adult student.
i froze half way thru. walked off stage to muffled aplause and never played piano again.
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Yes, stage fright ....no fun. Oh well, just wasn't your thing, that's all.
 
Three years of piano lessons, two recitals. I wanted to play fur Elise in my second recital but had to play Marche Slave instead. Everybody wanted to play fur Elise.

The teacher's daughter got to play fur Elise but it came home to bite her in the....uh....keys. Teacher comes out on stage, says (daughter's name) will now play fur Elise. She walks back off the stage and you hear "I'M NOT GONNA PLAY! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" Scuffle, scuffle, scuffle, SMACK! The girl comes flying out on the stage, propelled by two hands through the curtain. She stomps over the piano, sits down on the bench facing the audience, crosses her arms and yells, "OK, I'M OUT HERE BUT I'M NOT GONNA PLAY AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!!" Teacher marches out, grabs her and marches her off the stage. Recital continues. Daughter is not seen at the reception.

Shortly after that, I convince my mom to let me stop taking lessons. Now I wish I had continued. On the other hand, it's not too late to start again. If I had a piano. If I had room for a piano. Sigh.
 
jujube said:
Three years of piano lessons, two recitals. I wanted to play fur Elise in my second recital but had to play Marche Slave instead. Everybody wanted to play fur Elise.

The teacher's daughter got to play fur Elise but it came home to bite her in the....uh....keys. Teacher comes out on stage, says (daughter's name) will now play fur Elise. She walks back off the stage and you hear "I'M NOT GONNA PLAY! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" Scuffle, scuffle, scuffle, SMACK! The girl comes flying out on the stage, propelled by two hands through the curtain. She stomps over the piano, sits down on the bench facing the audience, crosses her arms and yells, "OK, I'M OUT HERE BUT I'M NOT GONNA PLAY AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!!" Teacher marches out, grabs her and marches her off the stage. Recital continues. Daughter is not seen at the reception.

Shortly after that, I convince my mom to let me stop taking lessons. Now I wish I had continued. On the other hand, it's not too late to start again. If I had a piano. If I had room for a piano. Sigh.
Click to expand...
owning a piano when you move houses a lot is a huge pain!
 
I took piano lessons for about 3 years and royal conservatory of music level 3 , I believe for written exams.

As I kid I practiced on a real piano but now I use a Roland keyboard with a mini brain and 50 watt amp. It has a beautiful tone but is more portable

I like to sing and play saxophone also.
 
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