Progress

Back in February I wrote about my troubles finding the right piano teacher for The Princess. Because she is so clearly attuned to music, finding a good fit was really important to me. But I also struggled with the dilemma whether we should tough it out and wait for things to get better or try yet another teacher.

A number of parents whose opinions I value highly raved about one teacher but there was a drawback. Normally she takes kids 8 and up. After weeks of watching my daughter avoid the piano and refuse to practice, I called The Wonder Teacher up just to talk about what we were experiencing. She suggested that I enroll The Princess for a short course of lessons on a trial basis. She started last week and is so much happier. Unlike her previous situation, she isn't sitting at the piano trying to puzzle out notes for the entire lesson. There's no note reading at all so far, which I think is fine. What I do see is a variety of activities including singing, dancing, composition, and ear training. The combination seems to be working as I'm hearing more experimentation at the piano, more singing, and more questions about how music works.

In fairness, I should say that the folks at the prior music school listened when I voiced concerns and they did try to work with us. But their approach is very focused on sight reading and that was stressing my little one out. I am glad we stuck with them long enough to know it wasn't going to work for now. And I'm glad I listened to my heart and kept looking for the right teacher. I don't care if The Princess grows up to be a concert pianist. All I want is for her natural love of music to grow. I think she's finally in the right place for that and I couldn't be happier.