My First Piano Concert

In January, I announced about my New Year resolution to fight the “too late” mentality by learning to play the piano.

The most wonderful thing that came out of it was that I have discovered many adults like me who are learning to play a musical instrument at a later stage in life. I was very happy to know I was not alone. It did not make it easier to learn and practice, but it helped me cope with my struggles.

Last time, after just two lessons, I knew it was going to be a challenge and it was!

It was hard for me to find the time to sit and play, but when I thought about it, I realized it was an excuse. I promised I would play 5 minutes every day and I did not do that, but every time I did, I did it for half an hour, so I think I am not far from an average of 5 minutes a day.
Whenever Eden played and practiced her piano lessons, I remembered to play mine too.
I found out that as a visual person, I could read the notes very well, but I could not hear my mistakes. The music sounded good to me even when it was wrong, so I needed someone to be with me while I was practicing.
I hoped that Noff, my 8-year-old, would be my main teacher, which meant she had to stay ahead of me, but I was too fast for her and she gave up on teaching me.
Eden was very sweet and gave me a sticker for every song I managed to play. Every time I played well, she said, “Excellent, Mum, I can give you a sticker now”, and we both laughed.

Every time I played, I felt very proud of myself.

My younger sister, who plays the piano, was very happy and proud when I told her I was going to learn to play. Since I announced my intentions, she has called me once a week to ask about my concert.

“I want to see it with my own eyes”, she said.

One of my clients said she wanted to have a concert when she came for a session.

You see, I am learning at home, my kids are my teachers and I have no concert hall to show off my talent (I do not think I can call it a talent – it is more like showing that I do the things that are hard for me. Do not worry, I am aware of my talents and playing the piano is not one of them). Therefore, I decided I would have my own concert at home, in front of the camera, so my family on the other side of the world, and you, would be able to watch me play.

Gal and the kids were my loving, encouraging audience in the music room. It was sooooooo hard, which was amazing, because I can stand in front of hundreds of people and talk about a topic I am good at and I do not even blink, but when I was in front of the camera, it was so hard, I made mistakes.

I felt so anxious I realized that every time my kids performed in front of people, I had taken their confidence, focus and success for granted.

The kids said the second one will be much easier. I am sure it will.

So there you have it, me, “the one with no auditory bone”, playing my first concert on video. I hope you enjoy it.

Be happy,
Ronit

Bob Collier

I could never master that thing of getting each hand to do something different. Although it wasn’t a problem with other instruments I learned to play in my twenties. Just the piano for some reason.

Well done! The first tune of many perhaps. :-)
Ronit Baras

Hi Bob,

Well, it is so hard.
If you can play another music instrument you are probably able to master some of the right brain – left brain coordination.
Do you play now?
What music instrument did you learn to play on your twenties?
I sing – which is great but it is not the same as playing a musical instrument. It was a challenge I conquered years ago. As a kid I had a a problem with my vocal cords and could not speak ( I didn’t have enough air to produce a voice). It was so tough I avoided speaking so much that when I had to speak it was so stressful. I said I didn’t do my homework so I won’t have to read it. It is funny, if someone would have told me I will be a public speaker, I would have laughed.
I am sure playing the piano ( well, it is a keyboard) will be the same.( I hear Eden playing (she is third year) and I tell myself that one day I will play just like her.

Thanks for the encouragement.
Yes, I promise to have my next concert shortly.

Happy Easter!
Ronit
Bob Collier

Hi Ronit,

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter. To answer your questions, when I was 21 I found myself working with a guy who was a fiddle player, he showed me how to play some simple dance tunes and that got me interested in folk music oriented instruments generally and I went on to playing the tin whistle, button accordian (“squeeze box”) and harmonica as well and also moved on a little with the guitar, which I’d learned to strum a few chords on as a teenager. As I say, I tried the piano and couldn’t get it. I think at the time I believed there were instruments that were beyond me because they were played by real musicians not “folk” musicians. Even though I played the violin, I was never a violinist either. I could pick up a new dance tune by ear in five minutes, but play classical music from a score? I don’t think so.

My music playing fell by the wayside when my daughter was about six – early 90s – other things had become more important. I still have a guitar and a violin. The fiddle playing hardly ever sees the light of day now, though that was my main instrument for twenty years and there was a time when I practiced two hours a day. But I’ve rediscovered an enthusiasm for playing the guitar recently; it would be great to do something with that. My daughter played piano at high school in London but didn’t continue with it when we came to Australia. Apart from that, nobody in my family or my wife’s family in our generation, our parents’ generation or our children’s generation plays a musical instrument. So I’m the one who’s “the musician”. I wish my son was interested but he isn’t. Maybe it’s one of those things that people generally have mental blocks about – I certainly grew up believing that people who could play a musical instrument were gifted and if you didn’t have the gift don’t bother, before I discovered it’s a learnable skill like driving a car.

I remember some years after I’d given up on my music playing my wife said to me one day something like, “So many people would love to play a musical instrument and can’t and you *can* play a musical instrument but won’t”, as if it was somehow my fault other people didn’t play, but I get her point.
Ronit Baras

HI Bob,
We had a lovely Easter with friends and some time off with the kids. very relaxing. I loved it.
21 is not a young age to start, which makes you think about the influences we have in life. you see, I would have never tried the piano if my kids hadn’t study music.
Violin seem so hard but I guess if we love something it is makes the motivation we need.
If you can pick up music from listening to it, it only means you are an auditory person. My son is the same, he was 4 years old when his first drum teacher played a whole piece and he could repeat it in total. As he started learning music, he would fail the reading notes part. Well, after 10 years he is much better at reading notes but can do it all by ear. My brother was the same, I think it is a gift, if people know how to use it.
My 21 year old daughter plays the piano, she does it for fun. I think playing for fun is awesome. Does your daughter play it for fun now?
Everyone that can play a music instrument and enjoys it is gifted! We are gifted, we just don’t know how much. enjoyment is the sign that this is our gift.
There is a stage in every art, that it goes into your soul and it doesn’t matter if it is good, nor perfect, it is an awesome bliss. I call it the “Zone”. I don’t have it in music but I have it in other forms of art I do. I wish all my kids to find their zone. It is a place inside that feels like heaven.
Tell your wife I am with her. I say the same to Gal. He played music for 8 years. I think that the kids sparked his interest again, they play and Tsoof, my son, he writes music and Gal is so helpful because he has a huge musical knowledge.
I guess enjoyment is the key. I read a research that people playing music are happier people.
I think I will keep working on my second concert.
happy day Bob,
Ronit
Andrew

Wow! That was brilliant Ronit! Good on you.
Ronit Baras

Hi Andrew,

Thank you!
I am proud of me too.
Well, you are a natural so you know how hard it is for a non- auditory person like me. ( lucky I am visual and can read the notes fast and easy )

hugs

Ronit
Dave @ electrosurgery enit

Congrats, it sounds pretty good. That takes a lot of determination. Good for you!
Ronit Baras

Thanks Dave,

I think so too.

Ronit