My Relationship With The Piano

I was by no means unmusical, though any talent I have remains a mystery, coming as I do from perhaps the least musical of families (who would be the first to admit this). To her credit, my mother signed me up for the de rigueur piano lessons. Each week I dazzled poor Ms. Shimizu with either an astonishing performance of a Mozart sonata or a heretofore unseen level of ill-preparedness. I slogged my way through Chopin Preludes, culminating my high school piano study with a middling

I have always had a musical talent, and I was over-joyed when my parents decided to sign me up for piano lessons. When I was younger, I just liked playing the songs my teacher assigned me. When I was older, however, I began to see music in a different light. Playing other musicians' songs has given me a glimpse of how other people view the world. When a musician composes a song, a piece of his heart goes into it. When I play their songs, I see a hint of what is in their soul. This has had me reflect on how I view the world. When I play the songs for an audience, they are able to feel a little of what the artist and I are

Cracking my knuckles, I looked down at the sheet music quivering under my shaking knee. After months and months of practice, the opening triplets of Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1 were as familiar to me as the sound of my own voice. I knew the piece by heart, and I was ready to perfectly execute it at my TMTA state piano audition. “Today is the day I will finally get a superior score.” I thought to myself. Every high school pianist dreams of receiving a superior score at state, and even more so he or she dreams of performing in the state honors recital. As I waited for my audition to begin, I reassured myself that my hard work would pay off and that this is what I’d been dreaming of. My name was called; I entered the piano studio; I sat at the bench.

I sat and listened to the beautiful yet invigorating song being played on the piano. I reminisced about the future, when I would be able to play such a complex piece of music. Six years later I sat awaiting my turn to perform this piece of music I had so long dreamed about. I felt butterflies dancing in my stomach, but at the same time I felt a sense of peace and contentment. I played this song flawlessly and from that moment on, I knew that I wanted to use my knowledge and talent of playing the piano to change the world for the better. I desired to impact young, aspiring piano students just as the song that impacted my life so long ago. I long to do so by studying music in college and continue to teach piano.

It wasn’t until that summer I walked across a bright yellow home. Through the windows, I could see an Asian woman was playing a beautiful song on her black grand piano. The sound of her music was like a stream of water running quietly through the green forest. From that moment, I became inspired to learn how to play the piano. I decided to take piano lessons with her and made it a goal to learn how to play the piano. My piano teacher, Ms. Li, was my role model because she showed me that there are unique and fascinating things people can learn to do in this world. As days turned to months and months turned into years, I continued to strive to become my inspiration. Many times, I felt like the Indians on the reservation and just wanted to give up because I felt it was too hard to make it to the top. Eight years later, I’ve completed my piano training. Today, people would always compliment my style of playing when I would play the piano. Sometimes I would come across a very young boy or girl who wanted to learn how to play the piano after they heard me play. I told them, “If you put your mind to it, you can do anything.” My piano teacher has been and will always be my inspiration and role model. Today, I have become a role model and inspiration for many people who want to learn how to play the piano. Role models and heroes are important in shaping people’s personalities and qualities because they provide people with goals to strive for.

‘The Pianist’ is a cinematic masterpiece by the Polish director Roman Polanski. One of the key ideas that appear throughout much of the film is that of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’. This idea is portrayed through Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist, as he struggles for survival in Warsaw as everybody that he once knew and everything that he once had is lost. The idea of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’ is worth learning about as it allows the audience to realise the importance of hope in todays society – and to understand how Polanski uses music to symbolise ‘hope’ for Szpilman in the film. Polanski effectively utilises an array of visual and oral text features such as music, dialogue, and lighting to build further

The Piano Lesson is a masterpiece in itself, earning a Pulitzer Prize in 1990. However, this particular play has elements not typical of modern plays. It has the quintessential plot that encompasses a conflict. On the surface, the conflict is between Boy Willie and his sister, Bernice. However, beneath that conflict, lies the symbolism of the characters. Boy Willie symbolizes the American way or the white man's culture. Bernice is the African-American way, staying true to her roots and not parting with the heritage. Although she finds this painful, she will not part with her heritage. Her heritage is tangible in the presence of the piano itself. Within the presence of the piano, August Wilson

Music has been a part of my life since the beginning. My Grandma Hammond, a music teacher, had me start right off into piano when I turned 7 years old. She has been my music teacher since then. I was taught all genres of music starting from classical to what is popular now. My favorite genres to learn were Jazz and Rock music pieces. I remember when I was the age of 12, I begged her to let me learn and play the song Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen for one of my music festivals. My Grandma disagreed at once about my idea because it was required of the piano students to play a classical piano piece. I was a good student and learned that festival piece, but little did she know I would also teach myself Bohemian Rhapsody and play it after my classical

Music has long been my biggest passion. As a child, it was always around me: Beethoven sonatas and Chopin concerti would fill my house, so much so that I begged my parents to start me on piano. I began the piano at five, but as I grew older, I discovered the beauty of chamber music and the allure of playing in an orchestra, compelling me to start on the clarinet.

Music has always been a major part of my family and my parents were determined that my sister and I were well acquainted with music from a young age. Inspired by the sound of the piano by the time I was six, I knew that I wanted to learn how to play it. Fast forward to the first day of class, my teacher, Ms. Lilly, guided me through the school and into a narrow hallway that held five doors. Each door opened to a cramped room that each held a piano, a stool, and a chair. Ms. Lilly’s hand softly held my shoulder as she led me to the first room. I became excited to finally expand my knowledge of music, excited to be given the opportunity to not only listen, but play music, excited that I had the opportunity to inspire others. But I soon became apprehensive about the idea of playing in front of a crowd. I worried that I wasn’t ready to excel in such a complex instrument. I held my breath and sat on the wooden stool beside my teacher, my conflicting emotions, making me dizzy, but

Then Mr.Dangerfield decided to do a performance of The Princess and the Frog. So the afterschool program prepared to do the play. We would be doing the background music. Several weeks later, he decided to give an early preview of some of the music to the whole school. He let the students in higher grades perform. Then I saw an empty piano. I thought, Well, I’ll be in the real show (which turns out later I wouldn’t be in). Why can’t I be in this One? and walked on up to the piano and started playing along. When I did that, everyone was surprised. After we were done, I got a standing ovation. Everyone was happy. Then I went back to regular classes, and I knew that I could play piano. But that was a long while ago. So through all this time, I practiced whenever I could and could remember to. I became excellent at playing by ear. But then, my music died for a little while. Later on, middle school fifth and sixth grade rolled around. We had music class again. Then my brain remembered all the songs, the notes, and the music came back. Sixth Grade rolled on in, and hit me hard with more work, more responsibilities. Yet through this, my musical life survived, thriving on those moments when I could be alone and just play anything on the keyboard. First half of the year, we had Japanese. I hated that class, and couldn’t wait for when we switched to music. Then the halfway point of the year, and I started music. In fifth grade, we used recorders. But now, we used pianos. My main instrument. My music grew even more as we learned more and more on the piano, did more music. Then, as the end of the year started coming in, Ms.Barsamian, the music and drama teacher, decided we would do a little piano recital. She gave us tons of songs to choose from. But there were none that resonated with me, that I enjoyed playing, that I could connect to. And then I remembered. A song I had

Since age 5, I have played piano and engaged in multiple competitions throughout the years. As I grew in age, my music obsession exponentially grew with it. Piano is my stress outlet; When irritated, I press my anger into the keys through Schumann’s “Knight Ruppert”. When sentimental, I let my emotions

Ellie and I were different from many of the other children at St. Jackson’s Home for Lost Children, located just outside of Oakland, California, we hardly paid any attention to anyone except for each other. Especially before Ellie showed up, I never talked to anyone, or rather, no one ever talked to me, and when they did, they’d laugh and make fun of how different I was. But I didn’t mind it much, I liked to be alone, and I loved to play the piano. Before Ellie, it was the only thing that kept me somewhat happy. No one taught me to play, so, I taught myself, I guess I just had a talent for

My life has always been centered around music even before I was born. Music is a big part of whom I am because it something I can go to and play on the piano when I am stressed or sad. Music for me is a calming force that helps solve my emotions. Music is such an important role in my life because at a very young age I watched my mother play the piano which in time made me want to learn as well. Throughout my life, I have learned to play the piano and the flute and wished I knew how to play the cello and the oboe. I grew up in a family who loved music. Ever since I was in first grade, I could read music and started to learn to play the piano. There was always a piano in our house, and every Sunday morning, my mother would play the organ at

When I was six years old i created my own method of writing music in order to get the melodies i created on paper. At the age of seven i began studying piano under Otto Cossel. I played a private concert at the age of ten to get money for my future education. When i was ten years old i began piano lessons with Eduard Marxsen. I turned out to be an amazing