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[personal profile] emsk

I’ve been working through my old sheet music, working through the lesson chains my piano teacher gave me. I’ve gone through from 1990′s lessons, and I’m about halfway through 1996 at the moment. My theory’s not as strong as it could be, and I don’t sightread with the ease I used to. But I do love playing through the old lessons and thinking back to learning these things the first time around.


Judy was a wonderful teacher – patient, thoughtful. She recognized the things I enjoyed playing and structured lessons around them. She introduced me to Beethoven, pointed me towards Bela Bartok and Stravinsky (neither of whom she really liked), got me listening to and later playing Debussy, Chopin; forced me to play scales and arpeggios, gave me exercise books that I grumbled about but still see the worth of. In my early teens she bought me the sheet music from The Piano, thinking I’d like it. I later found out that she thought the movie was deeply, deeply unsuitable for a teenager, but she knew the music would suit me.


Mum told me last night that Judy can no longer play. She had a major stroke about 18 months ago, and has had mini strokes several times since. (She’s well into her 70′s.) She can no longer make the connections between brain and fingers to play piano. Her short-term memory is shot, and her coordination is worse. She and Mum chatted for awhile; Judy asked after me, and made sure to tell me to keep practicing, keep playing while I can.


I can’t even imagine how terrible it must be for her.




Originally published at spinneretta.com
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