Response: Most kids don’t quit piano after six years of lessons. I did. After six year of lessons, forced-practices, time, and money, I made the big decision a year and a half ago to quit piano and cello and start violin. The piano was there as long as I could imagine, and after six years of playing that monster, you don’t quit, it’s just not practical. The cello came in when I was 10, I was small at that time, a little over 4 feet, and after 3 years of practice and hard work, you don’t give up. Cramped, constricted, confined, in my state of mind these two instruments made me feel that I lost my freedom, my body frozen, only able to move my fingers and my hands, and nothing more. Yet I played both, unable to comprehend why cello made me feel
As a child, I decided to try my hand at the cello. From then, I traversed the vast world of music, and satiated my relentless
Like almost every other 3rd grader in my elementary school, when the enrichment program came to talk about joining the orchestra and band, I was fascinated. I admired the kids, not much older than me, who could play their instruments flawlessly and effortlessly. Immediately I knew that orchestra was for me, and I rushed home with a paper in hand begging my mom to let me take lessons at my school. Originally, I wanted to play the cello and pleaded with my mom to let me play one; I loved the deep, rich sounds of the strings. Instead, my mom convinced me to play the violin, a less expensive instrument and much easier to carry around than a cello.
Soccer, football, lacrosse, and basketball, just to name a few, allowed my two older brothers to display their talents. Sticking to what they knew, my parents attempted to involve me in some sport, but it was apparent to me quite early on that I had another calling. When I was about four years old, I asked my parents if I could learn how to play the violin. The only reply I ever received at that age was a slight chuckle of doubt from my parents, whom envisioned a dusty wooden instrument being stowed away in a closet, never to be seen again after just a few lessons. So while equipped with only the rushing mind of a toddler, the notion of me learning violin was pushed to the back of my mind. It wasn’t until I was about seven years old that I
In fourth grade Tanner started learning his first instrument, the cello, in his elementary school orchestra. His decision was influenced by his older brother’s best friend, who was talented at playing the cello and was a major source of inspiration for most of Tanner’s life.
‘He told me I have the wrong kind of fingers’” (7). When the father fell for it, the boy’s sisters also told the father similar stories so they could get out of their lessons. Even when all three children had stopped playing their instruments, their father still tried to get them to play, but with different instruments, “‘the trumpet or the saxophone or, hey, how about the vibes?’” (7). No matter what the children said, the father tried to get the children integrated into music somehow. When the children refused to play different instruments, the father tried to get the children to listen to recordings so they could be inspired, “‘I want you to sit down and give this a good listen. Just get a load of this cat and tell me he’s not an inspiration’” (7). No matter how hard the children pleaded into getting away from music, the father still tried to connect his kids into music
Although in the end, piano ended up not being my thing, it gave the push I wanted to be able to read music which would give me the
In the first grade, I picked up a clarinet. It was my sister’s, collecting dust while waiting for me to play it. From the moment I produced my first sound, an ear-piercing squeal that frightened my dog, the path of my life took a turn for the better. I began teaching myself for the following three years, along with learning from my sister how to properly play the beautiful instrument. The music pushed me out of my comfort zone: concerts that forced me onstage, tests that made me play difficult songs, and teachers that pushed me to be an exceptional player. From the shy elementary school student I used to be to the outgoing band member I take joy in being today, music has shaped my everyday life.
In the book,“The Piano Lesson” Augustus Wilson tells a story about his family who is struggling with their past. The story begins with a Boy Willie coming up from the South to bring up the idea of selling the family’s legacy, a piano, which he will sell to buy the land that his ancestors were slaves on. The only problem is that his sister Bernice owns half the piano and she doesn’t want to let him sell it.
An antagonist is a character or group of characters that oppose the protagonist or causes the drama in the literary work (Literary Devices). “The Piano Lesson” was written by August Wilson in 1990. “The Piano Lesson” is about Boy Willie trying to sell the piano that his sister, Berniece, kept that belonged to their mother. Berniece refuses to let Boy Willie sell the piano because of the message behind it. Boy Willie causes all this drama so that he can sell the piano and use the money to buy land. The antagonist in the play “The Piano Lesson” is Boy Willie, even though he is not an evil character.
Music has always been integral in my life. During my childhood, when I was four years old, I pressed my fingers on an oven handle like a piano. Throughout my childhood years I listened to my mom’s old-school mix CD’s, along with the Pandora music app on my old Kindle. In fifth grade, I picked up the piano. My alto saxophone studies began in seventh grade. When high school arrived, I turned my focus to guitar and voice. The more knowledge I absorbed, the more knowledge I craved. My decision to pursue music was also influenced by the inspirations I’ve encountered on my journey so far.
I later took up band in seventh grade to get a sense of what music is. Intentionally, I wanted to play the alto-sax and hopefully learn to make great music with it, but it would cost me, so I chose a clarinet. The clarinet had an interesting sound similar to a sax and it was nice to know that I sounded better than Squidward Tentacles. The flute was another instrument that caught my eye, it looked like a recorder but looks and sounds relatively refined. But, I could never get the embouchure right to get that sweet flute sound, instead it sounded like blowing air into a tube, looking back, I probably wasn’t ready to play it
In 4th grade when we were allowed to choose instruments, I chose the clarinet even though most people did not. Mia states that she didn't know a lot of people who played cello at her age, like me. She also explains her summer at a camp for musicians. I went to a similar camp when I was younger. Unlike Mia though I eventually quit playing the clarinet.
My life has always been tied to the piano in some shape or form. I can remember the first notes I ever produced. They came from a large Cable upright piano that had sat unused and out of tune for decades. From my early childhood and on my relationship with the piano consisted of nothing more than fleeting encounters. Some days I would sit down and simply play notes I thought sounded nice, but mostly the piano acted as a decoration in my home. It wasn 't until moving to Oklahoma to be with my mother 's family that anything serious developed concerning the piano. I had always been far away from my family, so when I met up with my grandmother we took the time to catch up. She mentioned that my mother used to play the piano quite well. Up until that point I had never given the piano much thought, but I began to think about my mother and all the old piano books she had accumulated from her adolescence. That set in motion my desire to learn how to play and an eventual reappraisal of the way I looked at music and the world around me.
In my house, we have always had a piano, but none of my family members knew how to play it. My mom taught me a very basic understanding including how to read the notes on the staff and how the notes correspond to each key on the piano, but that was all that she knew. In time, I grew to love the feeling of playing music from the heart. In continuing to play, I taught myself to play complex pieces because it made me feel satisfied and content. Now, I am able to play a vast variety of songs including jolly Christmas music, playful video game soundtracks, and beautiful melodies by Yiruma and Chopin. Throughout the years, music has evolved into an incredible stress reliever and source of enjoyment in my daily life.
As the ivory keys moved up and down I listened to the sweet sound of my grandma's piano playing. I knew that I wanted to be a piano player and that If I were to do that, then my grandma would have to teach me so that one day I could play just like her. I started playing piano when I was seven and I have been playing ever since. My grandma has taught me for five years and will continue to teach me. Piano is very big and important in my family. My cousins play and my grandma also teaches them and we all have to practice for her and other activities. Piano playing has shaped me into the person I am today because having a good attitude,practice, and hard work has helped me by teaching lessons that will help me know what I want to be when I grow up.