For every adult pianist, there are certainly some stories to tell about their piano lesson experiences when they were young. I rememeber my first piano lesson took place in a small piano school near our home. It was my grandmother who took me. I was traumatized being confined in a little room with a stranger. I did not remember what I did on the piano. I only remember I was crying quietly while following the instructions and I kept looking back through the small window on the door to make sure my grandmother was there. I was five.
Things got better after my parents got me a teacher who came to our home to teach me. My dad just got me a brand new upright Yamaha piano. She was patient and professional, teaching me from John Thompson's beginner book. She was a professional teacher who went to the most prestigious music college in Taiwan. Because she got married, I switched to learn from my elementary school music teacher, my second piano teacher. I was about grade two or grade three. I took lessons from her home.
My second teacher was outgoing, and animated. She rarely sat down with me. Most of the time I played and she listened but I did not know where she was. She would come back to me to mark on my books and say a few things then went away. I vividly remember that my father would put cash in an envelope for me to hand it to her, reminding me to give it to her before the lessons, not after. She had two pianos, one brown color, Yamaha upright and one Kawai grand piano. I would stare at the grand piano with envy because I was only allowed to play the grand when preparing for a performance. She taught my brother and my sister as well. She was a very encouraging teacher, often giving us notebooks to praise our good performances, urging us to do well in school.
In Taiwan there were no grading systems for piano learning. We just kept playing assigned exercises and repertoire. We would hold onto one book for one or two years, learning pieces from the first page to the last. After finishing one book we moved to the next. Students either liked playing and continued, or did not like playing and discontinued. It turned out I was the only kid in my family who wished to continue.
For the very talented ones, if their parents could afford it, they would be sent to Vienna to pursue music careers.
I played a lot of classical repertoire when I was young, including Mozart, Chopin, Bach, Czerny Etudes 100 and 40, Hanon Virtuoso exercises. John Thompson's and Beyer beginners books were among my favorite! Nothing modern. I think our teachers just taught us what they learned from their teachers.
I found that in Canada, although we have well structured, graded system, i.e. The Royal Conservatory of Music, or Conservatory Canada, the grades driven learning is confining in a way that the quantity of pieces learned are limited. The education here emphasizes more on the balance among different styles while the learning I had when I was young emphasizes the classical, fundemental training. For example, I learned every single two-parts invention of Bach, one after another, same as Hanon scale books, Beyer, Czerny. Because of the thoroughness and strong focus on the classical elements, as well as the frequency of lessons, before I turned eleven, I could handle Mozart's major piano sonatas and some Chopin's Waltz and Nocturnes. I never took any exams in Taiwan.
I remember seeing my teacher two times a week. Usually every Monday and Thursday, or Tuesday and Friday. The frequency of lessons make a lot of difference. In Canada students see their teachers only once a week hence the progress won't be as fast. In general kids in Canada learn in a more relaxed, balanced way; in Taiwan kids learned faster and focused more on the classical training. Either has pros and cons.
It is not my intention to say the Asian style of learning is better. Afterall the way of learning piano has a lot to do with the cultural, social contexts and time, and will be constantly renewed. The world now in 2021 is a very different place than forty years ago! However, I would like to point out that piano learning is in essence a classical art. If we want to master the instrument, we will need to cultivate fundemental skills. I can't say enough how critical it is to expose young learners to classical repertoire. A solid foundation established when young will greatly support all kinds of creative pursuit later.
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