2008/5/05 Level 7

Practice Makes Perfect 

Good evening. For today's presentation, my topic is "Practice Makes Perfect". I will tell you how my husband & I help our daughter Tanya learn piano. She has just passed Level 7 piano test administered by the state Music Teachers' Association. This was the first time Tanya participated in this type of tests, and she achieved the best overall score and comments among the 30 students sent by her teacher for this year's test. For Tanya, this is an important milestone in her piano study. 

This is the certificate of the Level 7 Piano Test. 

To achieve this, we spent six years. 

Tanya began to learn piano when she was six and half. In the beginning, it was very difficult. Because my husband and I knew nothing about piano, we were not able to help her when she came across a problem. So I decided to learn piano with Tanya together. When the teacher taught Tanya, I sat close to them, trying to remember everything. 

At home, Tanya and I both practiced piano so that if she had a problem, I could help her. Our piano teacher asked Tanya to practice piano by singing along. We followed her instruction. Our neighbors could hear us play and sing along every day. When they met us, they always said they enjoyed it. I played piano with Tanya for one year until she could help herself and I could no longer catch up. 

Usually the teacher gives around 10 pieces of music to play at home. Tanya needs to practice each piece at least five times everyday. Sometime she needs more than five times to get it right. If she practices too long, she feels bored. So I let her practice piano for a while and then play for a while. When she gets good achievement, we always give her rewards like stuffed animals, games or books. 

My husband and I took Tanya to every piano recital and local competition. At that time, we were living in Buffalo of New York. In the winter, it was very difficult to drive in heavy snow. Despite the weather, we never missed a single piano lesson or recital. Every year at Young Pianist Festival, Tanya won the top score, Superior:  

But there was a setback. One time, the piano teacher sent several of her best students to a local competition. Tanya only got the fifth place in the group. She felt very disappointed. We comforted and helped her to overcome this. 

Here are a few pictures of Tanya learning piano:  

 

 

There are always difficulty and hard work behind every success. The only way to be successful is to practice, practice and practice. Practice makes perfect. Thank you. 

from  Practice Makes Perfect 

Level 10, 2011-3-25, farewell speech

Last weekend, Tanya finally passed Level 10 test, having played five pieces including Chopin "Fantaisie-Impromptu".  This is the top level for the normal piano education as defined by the State Pianist Association (there is one level beyond 10, called Panel, which is designed mainly for young pianists who may want to pursue music as career).  Level 10 has always been our final goal for Tanya,  after nine years of piano learning.  From now on, there will be no requirement for piano practice.  Playing piano will be a pure fun when she wants to.

To get here is not easy at all especially for the last year when the high school course burden was so heavy and deprived Tanya of sufficient sleep.  Several times we told Tanya that she could give up piano, and she did not have to achieve the Level 10 we had originnally planned for her.  Tanya did not want to abandon the plan and was persistent in squeezing the time for preparing this final test.   Now that the test was over and we have just had our last piano class, Tanya could not help bursting into tears.

"This is the first time I came to the piano lesson with no purpose, no pressure, in complete emptiness. It feels relaxing but weird. For years and years, no matter how I hate practicing piano, how sleepy I am, how I fight with Mom on piano, I still have to do what I have to do. It becomes part of my life. Now I have passed Level 10, and accomplished what we had aimed for, I am losing my goal. "

I said, that's ok, we always have moments of this in life. You should be proud of yourself. You need a break.

Tanya just could not stop pouring out, so I remained silent, listening, with a tear in my eyes too.