An Unexpected Turn in Life and Its Result

I took piano lessons as a child. It was my father's idea. We moved to an old house in a small town when I was 9 and it had an old piano in it. He wanted one of his kids to learn piano and I was the right age. He was a singer and it would be great if he had an accompanist in the family. So I took lessons for 6 years. I took to it pretty easily, and advanced at a good rate. When I was 11 though, I wanted to quit. I had to practice a song that I hated, Carry Me Back to Old Virginny, for the entire summer, and I rebelled, refused to practice. I remember my mother and my piano teacher had a phone conversation in front of me and decided that they would not let me quit, I had to keep taking. I sulked but managed to finally pass the piece in the fall and keep going in my studies. In Jr High, I started playing for my Dad whenever he needed me. After 9th grade, I did stop taking lessons, and just played piano for my own pleasure, and sometimes for church services.

In college I studied science-type subjects, and only played piano for fun. After college I got married, and we did not own a piano. I played whenever I could at church to help out, and also for my own pleasure. But I was without a piano in our home until my mid-30's. I was finally able to purchase an old upright when my two children were still little and then started playing daily. I got a little part-time gig playing for a contemporary Catholic choir and that built up my confidence. I found that I had a great desire to study and understand music theory, so I did at our local college, and also took piano lessons again for a year. Then suddenly mothers started coming up to me and asking me to teach their daughters piano lessons. As an experiment, I took on four students for the summer, four 8-year-old girls. By the end of the summer, three of the girls had quit, but I found that I loved to teach piano. And I haven't stopped since.

Ten years later at 45 I graduated from college for the 2nd time with a BA in music and a solid footing in my piano teaching career. I've taught over 200 students in the past 22 years, and have had many adventures and many wonderful relationships come and go in my life as a result of it all. I have played at my original student's wedding, I have attended the funerals of two of my students, I have found myself counseling a student who confessed to being raped. I'm still waiting to teach one of my students' own children, but am sure it will happen sooner or later.

So half way through my life, it did take a new direction, and I am happy for it. At 18, I really had no clue as to what I wanted to do with my life, what my passions and interests were, and I just made choices based on practicality and the influence of others. It took me awhile on this life-journey of mine to recognize what I truly loved and to pursue it. I am still on that life-journey and still learning to recognize those loves. But in looking back at where I've come from, one thing that brings a definite spark of joy to me is that my Dad in his own way helped me to choose my life path, without any clue that he had done it. He died many years ago, and I still miss him greatly, but also am greatly comforted by the music in my life, for which he and I both shared the same passion. It was one of his greatest gifts to me. Thanks, Dad! And to think, I almost quit! Thanks, Mom!