Chopsticks

A couple weeks ago we got a new addition to my work-household. A piano!
Everyone was excited. Adults, kids, dogs, you name it. I grew up playing the piano from the time I was six, though I gave up lessons around middle school / high school when I took to playing the flute in marching band. (Yes, I was a band geek. Yes, the pictures of it are as bad as you would expect.) We have a large antique piano in my Mom's house that I grew up with. It was passed down to my Mom and, hopefully one day, will be passed to me. I love it.

My boss, Josh, plays the piano, and his son Jasper (6 1/2 yrs old) is very artsy and musically interested, so a piano is a great addition to their home. Jasper, being an lover of music and also of any new "toy" whatsoever, really wanted to be able to play it right away. Not plunk around on the keys, but play. Like most youngsters (and even some adults), Jasper struggles and gets agitated when things don't come easily to him. He has very little patience and does not like being told what to do unless he has tried and failed enough times to concede to help. He wants to be good at something immediately and does not like the thought of practice or hard work. I mean they don't call it hard for nothing! However, once he puts his mind to learning something and accepting help, he learns quickly and efficiently and clearly feels the pride of triumph. He really wanted to learn a song, so I offered to teach him one: Chopsticks.

It took about half an hour, half my patience, all of his, and a lot of repeated practice, but he got it! Without knowing the names of the notes or the melody of the song prior (until hearing me play it a few times to get it in his head) he picked it up real quick! He learned how to play the first part of Chopsticks, and he loved it. We were both so happy about this newly learned skill, and of course he couldn't wait to play it for anyone who came into the house. He did great! I was so proud, he was so proud, everyone was proud! He asked when he could begin taking real lessons and I hope his parents leap at his desire to do so. I think he could really excel at it, and playing an instrument when you want to makes having to practice it much more fun.

Maybe one day, he'll have practiced his way into an *amazing* rendition like this?!