piano...

This post isn't going to be intentionally bitchy, and I'll try to keep the moaning down to a minimum. But yesterday I had a piano lesson. It was our usual slot with my brother and I having back to back lessons. My lesson was at 4.30 and Chris's a t 5.30. I arrived at 4.30 only to discover that Charlotte (the piano teacher) had changed the times at the last minute, and had sent a confusing email to my mum, stating that our lessons would be 3.30 until 5.30 instead of 4.30 - 6.30. She knew we were at home, but no, she didn't bother to ring and remind (well...inform us - seeing as we never got the message in the first place) that our lessons were an hour earlier. No, she just sat on our money for an hour. 


And when I arrived, I spent the first 15 minutes trying to suss out what had happened and trying to explain to my brother why we only had a half hour lesson this week. Not only that, but for the 15 minutes I had being "taught" she shouted at me for looking like I was about to hesitate. Her shouting, made me jump and bring my hands away from the keyboard in surprise, which then gave her a reason to give me a 5 minute lecture about how I should never take my hands off the keys. She wasted my lesson. Not only did she sit on her backside for an hour, while being paid for it, but she also wasted my lesson, by shouting at me for no apparent reason, instead of teaching me. 


Then, when my brother turned up at 5, she gave him as much grief as she gave me, and then chucked him out at 5.25 because her clock is 5 minutes fast, so she can get a five minute break on our money, before her next pupil arrives.


I have finally concluded, and I think my parents agree. That we are both moving piano teacher. I needed a new piano teacher anyway, because I couldn't put up with her nonsense much longer, and I wasn't keen on her teaching me for grade 8. It is about time somebody taught her a lesson, we have been good customers for nearly 10 years, and she still messes us around and treats us like something she wiped off her shoe. I had always wondered why she had never taught anyone straight through from grade 1 to grade 8. It's because, she would have a new pupil, and they would stay for 1, maybe 2 years, and then realise what a money grubber she is and move onto a decent teacher.


Ok, that was slightly bitchy. But true all the same. Ending on a happier note, I found a good music related quote that you may like by Ruggiero Ricci:


A good interpreter can take a piece of bad music and make it sound pretty decent, while a bad interpreter can take good music and make it sound cheap. I can tell that some people have a bad taste, and unlike on the piano, they smear around a lot, that is bad taste. 

bruised bums

I keep making a habit of posting 2 days late, apologies again. On Tuesday I went ice skating. It was the first time I had been since the ski trip. I never used to be very good on ice. My balance wasn't too bad, and I was quite good at moving around, but I never had the confidence to bring my self away from the side. And each time I would step onto the rink, to see that part of it was coned off, I would die a little each time. I don't know whether it is a general rule, or just that everyone skates that way, but everyone always skates round the rink anti-clockwise. If you have any sense of sanity, you would stay clear of the centre of the rink, where the crazy skaters do their stunts. This gives me more of an excuse to cling to the edge, for dear life. But as I very slowly make my way round the rink, I come to the coned off bit, the point where I can't go any further and still cling to the side. No, I am expected to skate across the rink, not falling over, not going off course and ending up either in the middle of the hockey match, or in the middle of a very dramatic speed skating competition between some guys, who thought it would be fun to show off. I would fall over once, maybe twice, with each crossing, but that was more to do with my lack of confidence, than my poor skating skills. 


Anyway, that is what I used to be like. Then on the ski trip, I realised something. It is inevitable, that I will fall. Suddenly I was more daring. I would take my hand off the edge, and would skate freely, without holding to anyone or anything. When I fell, I would think to myself "meh, everyone falls". Then I didn't care if  I fell, so I grew more confident and therefore fell less. By the end of the skating session, I was leading people around the rink. And only fell twice in the entire 2 hours I was on the ice. This session was even better, I only fell over once, and that was because I was leading my mum round the ice, I wobbled but gained my balance, but she got very unnerved, and fell, dragging me down with her. I had a lot of fun, because I wasn't worried about falling and making a complete fool of myself. I realised, I already am a complete fool. And I am proud of it :D.


In conclusion:  it's all about the confidence. Apologies for the cliche and dreadful Gok Wan quote.