Chapter 2: The early steps of the musical journey

My early days as a piano student were fun. I had a wonderful teacher who loved me dearly. It is important for teachers to understand that all kids need to be loved. This made me look forward to lessons.

When I passed Grade 2, it was imminent that I have a piano at home but my parents had difficulty finding one that matched their budget. After much saving, they finally bought me an old ‘honky-tonk’ piano for RM500. It was a really old piano with yellowish keys that was practically falling off! It was my piano and I made the best out of it. I never complained despite the fact that my cousin had a brand new Broadwood piano. I simply loved my piano and it was not the state of the instrument that mattered that much compared to the music that I can create from it. I was just thankful for I knew that my parents had made a huge sacrifice for me.

I had a different teacher during my higher grades because my first teacher left for London. This new teacher also made me feel special. As a young student, it wasn’t just the music lessons that interested me. It was the ‘play-time’! All music teachers need to know that the right environment will make their music lessons much more attractive. My teacher would reward me for having practiced well and showing her the results during the next lesson.

My early music years when I had a piano were always filled with entertainment time at home. My parents were my best audience. They were always supportive and would encourage my sister and I to perform for them in the evenings. They would applaud and were so proud of us. My grandmother often demanded of us to play well as she was a piano teacher herself. My sister and I used to play duets for her; hence music-making was a part of our lives. This built my confidence and I was never worried about playing for people. This was because my home was always a ready stage! Performance can be trained from the home!

Dr. Geraldine Law-Lee, Sun 05/08/2007