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Joy!

February 2, 2006 at 10:55 AM

Something was different today. As I settled the monthly scheduling and billing with the mother, the little girl spun around the room like a drum roll, clutching her piano books with glee. I’ve seen enthusiasm in students, but this ranked equal to something you’d see on Christmas day. She stopped just long enough to display her piece for me, pages open high, hiding her gleaming face. I read the title, “Song of Joy.” Yes, that’s nice.

“Veftoken!”

Hmm? Song of Joy? ...Oh! Silly me, I hadn’t even caught it. My little Veftoken girl had finally achieved the fabled Ode to Joy. Well, now I’ve done it, I’ve gone and introduced her to Beethoven.

We’ve been at the piano together for months now. Every week was a struggle to make sense of A-B-C, left hand, right hand, half note, quarter-quarter, one-two-three-four. Her energy made it difficult to maintain focus some days, but her explosive creativity was like gold to me. If only we could channel it for good use, we would have a great adventure.

Can you see the black notes moving up and down? Do you hear the notes going higher and lower? Can you feel the count to four as you play? Every week, the questions repeated, the battle began anew, and I watched and waited, hoping for the breakthrough.

This was the week that it finally came, and it came in the form of Beethoven. With drama, she pushed her sleeves out of the way and began, singing along as each finger landed. Before, her hands had wondered philosophically, searching for a reason to commit and seeking to make sense of the commands. But now, they had purpose! The left hand was singing Ode to Joy, and each finger had a note to contribute to the cause.

I joined her with simple chords, but felt more like dancing around the room. Lightbulb? Sometimes, these experiences to me are more like a blinding revelation on the road to Damascus. She plays music now. She didn’t before, and now she does.

Emily, your blogs are a joy to read too.
Great story. Kids are God's most fantastic creatures.
What a marvelous story! Thank you for sharing it. It was a really big moment.
That is really joyful. That is what makes teaching so rewarding, in spite of all the mundane minutiae. When I have an experience like that, I think I'm even more joyful than the student.
This event made my day, and I wanted to share the excitement. I'm glad you all enjoyed it.
Your post made ME feel like dancing around the room. So darling to visualize the little girl's happiness.