Two lessons down, 487 left. Tai started Suzuki Piano Basics lessons this month.
Why Piano?
Before I was pregnant, I was absolutely sure I would have girls. As soon as I got pregnant, I knew it would be boys. Similarly, I was absolutely sure my kids would play the violin. Now, I know Tai will play piano. [When he's 9, he would like to start the trumpet - an instrument that really does seem to match his voice.] Tai and I had a couple of false starts on the violin. The first time, he was too young. The next time, it just didn’t feel right. I have a very hard time balancing the dual role of Teacher and Parent. Tai is very active. He likes to know exactly how something should be done before he does it. He was easily frustrated on the violin. It takes some time to make a good sound on a little violin. Also, piano is just a good all-around instrument to play that is useful in many settings. Now that we are in Sacramento, there is no real Suzuki violin community (and back in Chapel Hill, there was no real Suzuki piano community). However, there is a thriving Suzuki Piano Basics community.
Piano Basics is a “branch” of Suzuki piano that focuses on a very specific technique devised by Kataoka, Suzuki’s accompanist. The fingers almost immitate a bow and actually move down the key as the note rings. The wrist is high, the hand is balanced over the keyboard so the palm is over the keys. The default hand position is closed, not spread out. The emphasis is on tone. This is what I love most about Suzuki music education. One might think that you just press the key and the piano makes it’s sound, but I was surprised at the nuance and subtle differences I could hear when students were instructed in technique at the lessons I observed. I was also thrilled to find a teacher near our home with a strong personality to guide Tai along. She has studied directly with Kataoka and travels to Japan every 18 months, often with students, to continue learning more about teaching. Of course, the Suzuki piano repertoire is just beautiful.
Tai hugs his new (used) piano.
Somehow, Tai has been excited to start piano lessons for a while now. I gave him a choice (after a miserable start to violin) of playing violin or piano. Of course, after agreeing to wait until he is 9 to start trumpet, he said piano. We started listening to the Volume 1 CD and he always hummed along – something he never did with the violin music.
