Community Chat

[chihuahuamom]

Well, it was really my parent's decision, but putting me in piano lessons.when I was little.  They let me know I would be taking till I finished high school.  I didn't complain because I enjoyed them. Learning to play the piano opened all kinds of doors for me from church musician to teaching to many other things.  Plus it gives my soul such fullfillment to be able to play anything I want. I read music as fluently as I speak English. It's a special thing.

[kdgn]

Becoming a teacher and deciding that kindergarten was the special place for me. I never regretted that decision-

[missy1]

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@Margo Channing wrote:

Aside from my husband and boys, it would have to be, hands down, buying a lottery ticket!

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 Good for you. Must have been a big win.

[sfnative]

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@Pianomama wrote:

Well, it was really my parent's decision, but putting me in piano lessons.when I was little.  They let me know I would be taking till I finished high school.  I didn't complain because I enjoyed them. Learning to play the piano opened all kinds of doors for me from church musician to teaching to many other things.  Plus it gives my soul such fullfillment to be able to play anything I want. I read music as fluently as I speak English. It's a special thing.

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@chihuahuamom

Me, too.  Started at age 4, which by today's standards is much too young to begin piano lessons.  At my first recital located in a beautiful concert hall, I was only 5 and recall throwing up in a trash can.  However, my organza dress was the most beautiful dress I had as a child.

Like yourself, I accompanied many vocalists and choral organizations, played many weddings on some wonderful pipe organs, and double majored in college the first time around, with piano my major instrument and Kinesiology the other major.   Though piano was my major, my real joy was music education and a desire to teach.  To that end, a year and a half was spent in graduate school to learn how to teach and be vetted by my profession so that I could indeed obtain the required credentials.

"Sight Reading Music:"  I honestly believe that there exists a hereditary marker for this.  The reason I say this is that while at University, the Music Department was filled with extraordinarily talented musicians, most of whom could play the pants off of anyone else, but were not good sight readers.  In my ignorance, I thought that all musicians had equal facility when it came to sight reading, until we got to the point where we had to take 2 years of "Sight Singing and Ear Training."  Oh-my-goodness!  Honestly, there was myself and one other musician who sight read quite well and everyone else struggled terribly.  I felt quite badly for my classmates, as this would, for them, be their lowest grade in 4 years.

What really convinced me that I must have inherited not only sight reading abilities, but also absolute pitch, was brought home to me during a final exam in a graduate course entitled simply, "Music Education: Teaching at the Secondary Level."  We had a multi-phase final exam.  Phase One required that we all show up on our class day and line up against the wall outside our classroom on the 2nd floor.  Very mysterious.  We were all clueless.  Our professor took us one by one into the sound proof classroom, so we had no idea what was going on.  Everyone preceding me completed their exam and came out with an absolutely horrid look on their faces.  Not one word was said.  These were all of my friends! They played at my wedding!  We had been together for so many years working at our craft and learning how to teach that I thought it really scary that no one was saying or would say anything.  When it was my turn, my stomach was turning into knots and I literally thought of that first piano recital, wondering if my body was going to turn on me.  Then our professor told me, and I paraphrase, "As you know, as Music Majors, you're required to have certain skills under your belt.  All music majors be able to sight read a piano piece, regardless of major instrument (trumpet, voice, violin, etc.), sight sing an obscure song, and finally perform a piece that is part of our current approved repetoire ."

Being a Piano Major, I was excused from the first sight reading portion of the exam.  We then proceeded to sight singing. My professor sat at the piano and provided me with a tonic chord, plus four measures of a song I had never seen or heard.  He then sat back and told me to sing the song.   About 16 measures into the song, he told me to stop and replaced the music with another song.  He provided a tonic chord and told me to sing.  Again, after about 16 measures, he replaced that song with another one.  Again, a tonic chord and I sang another 16 measures, but this time he looked at me and asked, "You're familiar with these songs, aren't you?"  No I wasn't and told him so.  He walked to the back of the classroom and dug into what looked like an old briefcase and dug out a score:  It was an alto aria written by my favorite professor, Dr. Sacco.  Though I knew Dr. Sacco wrote operas, I was quite  surprise to see one of his arias in front of me.  So, again he provides a tonic chord and away I go. 

He finally got it.  No matter what he threw at me, I could sing it.  Then he asked me why I hadn't majored in Voice.  Well, duh, because I just came up short having operatic quality.

Anyway, this was a very, very long way to share with you how I came to honestly feel that I had been blessed with an ability to sight sing with great facility.  Though I can no longer play piano due to CRPS, my voice is still with me and I'm now sharing songs with my just 2 year old granddaughter.  What fun we're having these days!

[qualitygal]

@kivah, I would give you 10 stars!!! Good for you and you payed it forward on top of all else. Salute! Bravo!

[violann]

Sfnative, I loved reading what you've said,with one small disagreement- most music teachers can't TEACH sight reading so most highly gifted music students never LEARN it.

I've never had a real major instrument, but early on I taught myself to be a proficient sight reader, and I am able to teach almost all of the students with whom I work to sight read, or at the very least, to enjoy being able to do basic sight reading.

Although I haven't taught formally in many years, I do provide voluntary help to some of the students at my local community college.

The college happens to have an excellent music program, but there is no time to provide structured instruction in sight reading/ear training because the students have to work so hard to get through music fundamentals and 4 semesters of music theory.

SOME local secondary programs do use Kodaly based music training, and those students do of course have a better concept of reading music as fluently as reading words, which is exactly as it should be.

Thank you for your fascinating story!

[Group 5 minus 1]

Marrying DH. Second smartest was quitting my job. We had planned on it and lived on 1 salary for a year. We knew that if we could do it for a year we would be ok. We just banked my salary.

[kivah]

QualityGal: I so appreciate ur compliment. 

Spoiler

[LTT1]

@NAES1@INDIANA BONES

i need to give a shout-out to my stylist who is a self-made woman. Not only has she become active in our city by participating in philanthropic events, but she has told me at least three stories of helping needy friends.

One friend who is being helped by her now, is confined to a wheelchair. My friend is fixing her house up for her, doing plumbing and painting, but also she is takes her to MD appointments, helps her with bill problems. It touches my heart that someone could be so caring of others.

And so I appreciate you both for your contributions to others, also.

[persiflage]

To be a person that has an open mind and not dismiss other viewpoints.  I am always interested in the ideas of someone who disagrees with me on an important issue.  I know what I know but I may not know what you know.  Even if I maintain my original views I still have a greater understanding of the other side.