I Hated Practicing, Too

Hate + Regret

“I played piano when I was little, but then I quit. I really wish my parents made me keep going.”

I have heard this told to me over and over once people find out I play or teach piano. And the reality is sometimes piano doesn’t feel fun.

I hated to practice when I was younger. I dreaded the repetition. At one point, when I had started far too early with lessons and my poor teacher did not have as strong a willpower as 3-year-old me, I stuck my feet up on the keyboard, crossed my arms, and refused to play (which lasted as long as it took for my mother to come rushing in). I switched to another teacher at 6 and count that as my first formal lessons. She was nice and I liked performing for church and recitals. However, I still did not enjoy practice and would feel anxiety over lessons.

In sixth grade, I started with a new teacher. Watching her play piano was magical. She was one with the music, moved with the keys. She also saw my potential. I still did not love to practice all the time, but piano started becoming something I loved. Music was starting to become an extension of myself, my finger muscles remembered, and it allowed me to connect emotionally to myself and to music I’d never experienced before. It was outlet for the junior high emotions, a space to explore.

My relationship with piano has been a constantly changing one - becoming a task for competition, a way to write my feelings out into the world, a connector, a stressor, a beautiful part of my soul.

When I come into the teaching space, I want to carry empathy for wherever you are with your piano journey. It is not always easy, especially for young ones when they haven’t had to push too hard through difficulties. However, I promise to walk with you through the days when you are sad, grumpy, frustrated, and overwhelmed. I hope to let you be there, but also inspire you to dig a little deeper, find the spark, the fun, the joy, the magic in all that the journey of piano is.