金齡彈琴說故事

I remember in my primary school, there were two organs (not digital pianos) in the music room.  However, they were reserved only for those students attending piano lessons at home.  When it comes to music lesson, we had only to admire them while holding the few cents plastic recorders in our hands and played along simple tunes with them.
Later a kind teacher gave us cyclostyled yellowish sheet (during that time there were no Photostat technology and snow-white paper yet) of the piano keyboard (only one octave).  She taught us the fingering for Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do.  “Remember to put your thumb under for upscale ‘fa’ and crossover your middle finger for the downscale ‘mi’” said she.  And I still remember indelibly.  We were taught to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars” on the paper.  But the paper would not produce sound.  Well, the girls on the organ provided us the sound!  So, indeed, I think I did learn how to play the piano at a young age.  But it was only on a piece of paper.
Fast forward to year 2020, a good friend of mine, Rosa sent me the link to Jin Jing Music.  She said she was learning the piano lessons with the school and suggested me to try it out.  I was skeptical.  Are you sure I could, with my age and stiff fingers!  “No lah” I said, “Piano learning is for the kids.  Too old to learn now”’.  As an encouragement, she sent me videos of her homework.  Wow, she could play  “龍的傳人” and ”菊花台” after barely four months.  Both are my favourite songs.  I was impressed.  Thanks to another friend who gave me her daughter’s long abandon Yamaha keyboard.  Geared with the tool, I had no more excuses not to fill up the Google form.
The first four lessons were interesting, simple to follow and easy to practice.  I could master the first Chinese song with ease after the four lessons.  With a little achievement and success, I looked forward to attending more lessons from Jin Ling Music.
Each level of the Jin Ling Music course gave me new insight, knowledge and exposure to the music world.  There are so much more than I could imagine.  There are scales, arpeggios, keys, chords, sharps, flats, various forms of accompaniment and music annotations (forte, pianissimo, crescendo, staccato, moderato, allegro, etc.).  As a layperson, I would not have known such details.
Ms. Michelle Tang made me fall in love with the piano.  My heart will twitch and fingers itch if I missed practicing a day.  Even if I were out whole day and returned late night, I would play the piano in the midnight hours.  Of course with headphones on.  On sleepless nights, I would also play the piano in the wee hours, which put me back to sleep.
I have a passion for music all along and love singing.  I guess it helps in my piano playing.  Ms. Pauline Li always wants my fingers to sing the songs along with the keys.  Not to pound hard as in the gym.  “Put more feelings in”, she would emphasize.  As my passion for the piano grows, my practices also become longer.  At times, I could play unconsciously for hours and video recordings for homework submission also took a few sessions.  Just to get it right.  Yes! I got full score from Ms. Pauline Li for each level of my course.  Thus that triggered Ms. Chung’s persistence that I must join the Steinway & Sons piano competition.  Oh, she must be joking.  It never crossed my mind.  Well, she wasn’t.  Her repeated coaxing, persuasion, and reminder that it’s the once-in-three-year event made me reconsider.  Yeah, why not.  We don’t know what comes tomorrow.  We might regret later if we missed it out this time.  And unbelievably, I won the first runner-up of my age group, despite playing with trembling fingers and sudden blank mind.  Thanks to the Jin Ling teachers’ encouragement and the three judges for their appreciation on my ghastly performance.
Never mind those hearing and saying that we should learn the basics first (as like in the kids’ lessons).  We are adults and seniors.  Don’t expect us to run our fingers speedily up and down the keyboard like kids.  I believe most of us would quit if we just master the same do-re-mi scale for various keys for the three months.   Luckily Ms. Michelle Tang knew what we want and deviated from the tradition, and devised a course with songs and music of our time, which makes our piano learning pleasant and interesting.  I am glad to have joined the Jin Ling Music School.
As the old saying goes “Never too old to learn”.  Yes!!!  Piano learning doesn’t start with kids.  It starts with anyone with a passion for music.