My Piano Story
What I’ve Learnt from Playing Piano
How did I get started on the piano?
Before learning the piano, I was previously a baritone horn player in the school band during my primary school days. My first exposure to learning music started at the age of 7 years old.
Back then, my primary school had a couple of pianos located around — behind the school canteen and in the hall. My friends and I would frequently go to the piano during our breaks to press on the keys or play simple pieces. Gradually, my interest and passion for music and piano grew.
I started taking formal piano lessons when I was 10 years old. Time passes by really quickly and in a blink of an eye, I have been playing the piano for almost 10 years. Looking back, I think of my years of playing the piano as foundational and fundamental for everything else in my life.
Similar to everyone who learns something new, I struggled at the start. Trying my best to sight-read the notes on the sheets, slowly and imperfectly learning the scales, and playing it in the correct rhythm and tempo.
At the start, I played the piano for leisure and fun, but at some point, my piano teacher asked if I wanted to go for the piano examinations, and without a great deal of thought, I agreed to it. Just like that, as with each passing year, I would practice and go for piano and music theory examinations. My piano journey has been enjoyable and I loved most parts of it.
More importantly, the past couple of years of my piano adventure taught me many priceless life lessons beyond piano skills.
Learning #1: Be committed
My biggest learning is that if you want to be great at something, it requires commitment. You have to love and enjoy what you are doing to be in it for the long-run.
Learning the piano was not always fun and exciting, I have to admit that I dread practicing the piano at times, especially when it gets repetitive and routine while preparing for the examinations. Every week, I would play the same pieces over and over again, followed by sight-reading, scales, and aural, as well as music theory.
However, there was something very humbling about this entire learning process because it showed me the level of commitment it truly takes to be good, as well as the amount of patience, discipline, and consistency you have to have for the journey. Great things do not happen within days, months, or even years. It may even take a lifetime to be exceptional.
This makes me wonder about the times in my life when I gave up easily without having tried it for long enough. What would have happened had I committed a little longer? Now, I have learnt that whatever I do in life, it is so important to commit and stay dedicated to what I have set out to do in the first place and to always remind myself to persevere a little longer before throwing in the towel.
Learning #2: Be present in the moment
I like to think about the future and what is ahead all the time, even when I am playing the piano. I cannot help but think of the next section of the musical sheet, then I will get panicky about making mistakes before it even occurs.
Playing the piano taught me about the importance of being present in the moment. It is hard to play the piano properly if I am distracted by the surroundings or my wandering thoughts. It requires attention, focus, and being fully present. Any slight distraction would result in the wrong tempo, rhythm or keys pressed. Over the years, I have learnt to immerse myself fully whenever I play the piano, as if isolated and oblivious to everything else in the world. It also taught me to give my attention and appreciate every passing moment in life, and to stop worrying so much about the past or the future. Embrace and live in the moment because all we have is this moment.
These are the two of many lessons I’ve learnt in my years of playing the piano that I am very thankful for.
Types of Piano Music I Enjoy
My piano journey consists of playing mostly classical piano pieces and examination pieces. Apart from those, some of my other favorite pieces are from composers like Yiruma (River Flows in You) and Richard Clayderman (Mariage D’amour). Occasionally, I would also play piano covers of English, Chinese, and Korean pop songs. The most recent piece that I am playing is Flower by Yoon Mirae. It is one of the original songs for Crash Landing On You which is a Korean drama.
Piano Dream: What’s Next?
I simply enjoy learning, playing, and teaching others who are also interested in music. Currently, I teach students weekly as well as assist in a music enrichment programme in a kindergarten during the holiday season. I am hoping to create my piano and music course that would help beginners or children to explore piano and music theory further. Otherwise, I would spend my free time playing and composing musical pieces and songs that I like. I am still discovering and exploring what I want to do next, but whatever it is, I know it will be enriching and fulfilling as it has always been.
