My Piano Playing Story

by Maria
(Greece)

Here is my story about how I got started to play the piano and how I became a piano pedagogue.

When I was a little girl, I wanted so much to play the Harp. I was in love with this proud and beautiful instrument. Unfortunately this was not possible economically... Somebody suggested that I would choose piano ("it is almost like a harp") and I thought that would be nice...

So, ready to begin I eagerly awaited the time I would start in the local music community school. But- I was told I had to play the recorder first for one year! What! What does the recorder have to do with the piano???

Finally, after one looong year I finally got to start with my piano lessons. I had the sweetest piano teacher lady. She was so supportive of me.

After some time, in my teens, I won a scholarship to attend a music camp. The piano teacher there made me feel like I was the worst pianist on the planet, that I was in fact useless as a person.

I got sad. Then I got MAD! In a rage I decided that I was going to show her that I could indeed play the piano...

Until then I had absolutely no intention or interest in pursuing a career in music. After that summer I applied to, and got accepted to a music "high school" with piano as my first instrument and cello as my second. (Had to learn fast!!) And I discovered that I loved it!

The years passed, and I got my sweet "revenge" some years later, when I met the piano teacher from the summer camp at the Royal conservatory, where I was now a student at the piano pedagogy department. She was surprised to see me of course- how lovely it was to be able to tell her that I was indeed a student there! Hah! That felt soo great!