Life Without Words

The well used wooden bench squeaks against the floor. Chipped, yellowed keys that have also been well used, some more than others, are revealed under the cover. My fingers brush over black and white, feeling the hum of the piano. I settle myself and breathe before my fingers take me away to a gondola ride in Venice.

I have been playing the piano since I was 5-years-old. My parents enrolled me in piano lessons after Christmas when I was 4. They tell me that I sat down on the same piano bench and started putting together the tune to “Deck the Halls.” It wasn’t until around two years ago that I really started to appreciate and exploit my talent.

Two years ago, I worked my fingers for six months. For those six months I planned and practiced one song: Mozart’s Sonata in D Major for two pianos. When spring came, my piano teacher, Miss Kelsey, and I closed the recital with the Sonata. Normally I’m nervous about performing at recitals, but this was the first time I got lost in the music and smiled. Ever since that recital I have been substituting songs from my piano books with different songs I want to play with help from Kelsey. Kelsey has been so helpful and continues to be helpful by teaching me daily and answering my questions. She knows my skill level so well that she encourages me to try harder songs. When I show her a song I want to play that’s above my skill level, she helps me simplify the song, lets me try it out, or suggests to wait until I improve more.

Now that I’m more experienced, once I learn a song I shape it into a story and put feeling into it. One song I love to get lost in is “Venetian Gondola Song” from Songs Without Words by Mendelssohn. The left hand starts off with the rocking of the gondola before the right hand comes in with the gondolier’s song. I start off slow, as if I’ve just stepped into the gondola. The speed quickens and slows with the melancholy melody, ending with the rocking. For this upcoming Spring recital I’m planning on playing “Clair de Lune” by Debussy. I only have two pages up to speed, but even those two pages will take me away. Before I know it, an hour has flown by at the piano.

Over the summer I visited family on the East Coast. My grandparents’ retirement home has a baby grand piano in the meeting room. Most days I would find myself sitting down, opening the heavy lid and spending at least an hour playing everything in my repertoire. A few times I sat down and, after what felt like minutes, my mom would come in asking if I knew an hour had passed. My response was always, “No.”

In the classroom, my passion can transfer over. Skills from learning piano have also helped me become a better learner and studier. Learning new piano pieces requires lots of practice. Kelsey always tells me to start slow, learn it correctly, and practicing in sections is better than playing through the whole piece. In school, I use the skills to practice and go over the hard questions, read a short story and analyze by paragraph instead of the story as a whole, and to manage my time between homework and extracurricular classes.

Playing the piano has become a part of me. It is a talent I treasure and want to build on so I can play every song on my long list titled “to play.” I love to get lost in my music.