music and driving...

i resume my piano lesson today. after stopping for 6 months....

this is a big step forward for me... many thanks to ky who quietly suggested i should start soon... and aaron... i dont know why, but he particularly reminded me of the importance of music... and each time i see him in class, i would tell myself call chris and start the lesson...

Chris is a wonderful piano teacher. Very patient, practical, encouraging without pushing, and she was never condescending or boastful at all, though she plays so well. I have been with her for nearly 6 years...

I have very very bad coordination, I cant count beats. Even now. Its quite hard to believe, that I cleared my grade 5 last year. I have difficulty coordinating between fingers, between my 2 hands, between counting and playing, between pedalling and playing, and reading notes and playing. I cant tap my feet and play. That was why the piano teacher that taught me when I was 8(?), told my mum I wont make it. I was very sad because I do love music. But I also know piano lessons were very expensive, and sk was performing well. So I had to drop after a few months.

actually i never thought i will ever learn to play the piano in my life. I wanted to have some music in my life, so whilst trying to sort many things out, and i was just giving tuition that time, I got myself a flute and self learnt. Manage to get a few tunes out.

Wanted to get a small keyboard to help get some tunes out.... at yamaha, somebody wanted to trade in her clavinova for a piano... i was there, so i got the clavinova, and thought just sign up for lessons a few months... that was in 2004... it turned out more than a few months.

I am not good at learning from people, especially one to one situation. I am very sensitive to impatience, and felt my stupidity, slowness to progress is the cause of irritation. That made my mind freeze and shut down. Once confidence is gone, it seriously hinders learning for me. But because I know what it feels to feel so louzy, that also seriously helped me become a good teacher.

from the very first lesson with her, I knew she was good. very good. Teacher instinct tells me. I was actually very embarassed because when i register for lessons, they asked me how old is my child taking the lesson. And you dont see people my age attending music lessons seriously. Maybe a few lessons for 'enterntainment'.

I remembered she was quite amazed at my lack of coordination, especially with the pedal, and told me it is the same as driving. I looked at her, and said I dont drive, I have no coordination and no sense of direction. She never once looked exasperated or impatient, and kept telling me it can be overcome. I told her I didnt want to take exams, and will be happy just to play a few songs. After 2 years, she convinced me to try Grade 3 (I got distinction!), then grade 5. But I have to admit, it is more rote playing. I am really not good. But I will keep trying.
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Three years after i picked up piano, I signed up to learn driving, and got my licence within 6 months, putting in nearly 120 hours of lessons. (thankfully it was before i joined nush!) It was costly, but i know, driving is a serious responsibility to other road users. I cant made mistakes.

I didnt have good instructiors in the driving school, but when there was one that was very good, Ghazali, I booked him for all my lessons though it cost more to do so. He was another excellent teacher, and to this moment, I recalled many of his invaluable advice on certain situations on the road. If I still dont drive well, the fault is entirely mine. He was really good and taught for all kinds of traffic situation.

Randy Pausch talked about childhood dreams. I did achieve some of my many childhood dreams. Unless you knew me, you cant believe how hard it is for me to be able to do this. Until my twenties, I cant recognise a left shoe from a right shoe. Actually to this moment, I have problem with orientation. As el said to me in june, that i can drive, and is driving, is really amazing seeing i was well known to my peers for getting lost, and not being able to find my way. I know mum was particularly impressed (it mattered alot to me what she thought of me) that I made it, and did drive her around some times.

No matter how determined you are, when that is your area of weakness, you do need a good instructor, guide, teacher to point out to you how to overcome; to encourage you to continue, and motivate you to reach greater heights... I am fortunate, very fortunate. I have a third good teacher... that I got to know also the last few years... will write about her another time...

A good teacher understands your learning fears, motivates you to overcome weaknesses, and strive to higher grounds. I will never be an accomplished pianist, nor a dexterous driver. But I am able to do what I will never attain without them. Because they never gave up on me, even when I didnt seem to be progressing, it gave me hope, and confidence.

At the same time, it takes a good student to receive, and ponder not just the skill that is taught, but the thought behind the teaching. This is very important. When they care for me, and showed annoyance, I know I have missed something. And because I know they cared, i try hard to make up for my liability.

As Randy Paush said, when you do a bad job, and people dont tell you, it is because they have given up on you. So when they point out the weaknesses, I always take time to reflect the intentions and to transfer the learning in other aspects... I am a good student! :)

There is really alot to learn from Randy's lecture... he has definitely left behind an invaluable legacy...

I hope to be able to keep up these 2 aspects for the remaining years that the Lord would preserve me..... and i am thankful to make this move today...