A BOY NAMED NATHANIEL!

All this talk of new jobs, brings me to today's post. 

It's very true, I seem to have no trouble landing all kinds of part-time positions out here in the country.  I certainly think that if one wants to make a bit of extra money, the potential is certainly here to do it.

But of all the positions I have tried, I think perhaps I have truly found the one I was born to do, right here in this little community.

I am speaking of teaching piano. 

I did a brief stint of piano teaching years ago, and didn't much care for it - maybe because I needed to make a better income, maybe because I found young children a challenge at the time when I had yet to have my own child, or maybe because at the time, I was more in love with playing the piano, than teaching it.

Whatever the reason I tried it once and never went back to it - even though I thought of it being a path to some extra income a time or two through the years.

I took on a student just after Christmas - 7 yr old Nathaniel.  It was sort of an experiment for both him, and me.

And it has been absolutely a wonderful, eye-opening, fun, experience.

Nathaniel had no prior musical or piano knowledge, and was quite a quiet child.  His mother wasn't sure how or if he would take to learning to play music, and at the start I wasn't sure if I would take to teaching it.

My misgivings came straight from the Piano Course I chose to teach - The Faber Piano course.  It was completely unknown and new to me, and nothing like any course I had seen before.  It is very much "the New way of learning" - something I have always dug my heels in about in the past.

But I have to say, if you have a child who is starting to learn the piano - please make sure they start with this course.

The first lesson had me in fits - for the first 6 weeks, all learning is done on the black keys!  Unheard of in my learning days - in fact children who learned like I did learned to fear the black keys.

Nathaniel has excelled beyond what any of us expected - and I often wonder who the little boy sitting next to me every Monday after school really is - and what did he do with the real Nathaniel... he's just so different.

Three months later, my little student is playing with both hands - sight reading way better than I did in grade 2 piano, and he's all but finished the primer (beginner book) and ready to move on to Grade 1.

It's been a blast, a joy and an activity that I never dreamt I would ever love so much... and if any other position I take on in any way interferes with this one - it will be gone in a flash!

I asked Nathaniel last lesson, if he is enjoying learning to play the piano.  He told me Monday is his favourite day of the week, because he can't wait to come to piano lessons.

Does a teacher need any better answer than that? 

I highly doubt it.

Nathaniel has also taken a huge shine to Chip... and surprisingly Chip to him.  After lessons are over, it's all about the two of them.  Nathaniel is allowed to hand feed Chip, there is giggling, some birdie kisses, lots of treats for a very smart bird who has figured out how to work this new kid in the house...

That one hour in my week, leaves me smiling for the next 7 days!

There are 4 boys in Nathaniel's family, and in September the next oldest sibling will become my second student.  I plan to advertise in the school in May, and hopefully I can get a few more young students to teach.

Every time I sit in my chair off to the left of my student and guide him through his lesson I think of my own piano teacher, Miss Mollet - and I wonder - did she love teaching this much?  She was a great teacher, but I can't actually say that piano lessons were ever really a fun time for me.  I loved learning, but I don't think I got the joy from it that my student does - my joy came when I sat down at my piano and just played...

She shaped my love of music by teaching me so much about it... God willing - I am doing the same for my student.