Dr. Jerry Bramblett - My College Piano Professor "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in."
- Rachel Carson
A few years ago, one of my colleagues was having a discussion with someone, and the following question was raised:
"How much do you remember about your 1st grade teacher? Your 2nd grade teacher?"
Apparently many people could remember their teacher's name, and a few other random things about him/her.
And then, the follow-up question:
"Now, how much do you remember about your first piano teacher?"
Suddenly the flood gates opened and the memories rushed out. The teacher's name, what her house was like, what the piano looked like, what the room smelled like, what the teacher's demeanor was like, etc. and many other details were recalled.
This little anecdote made me realize how important that one-on-one time is for a young, influential child. For many children, that weekly private lesson time may be one of the few one-on-one adult/child opportunities.
This is actually one of the reasons why I am strongly leaning toward enrolling my daughters for music lessons with someone other than myself.
Sure, I could teach them myself... and it would definitely save a pretty penny in tuition costs.
But I can foresee several problems with it.
For instance, I remember my mother's early attempts at teaching me to play piano. Although it was a long time ago, I recall the sessions ending with tears. (Mine, not hers.) It was hard to distinguish the line between parent and teacher. I'm not exactly sure how many "lessons" I had with my mother, but eventually my parents signed me up for lessons with a piano teacher who drove to our house.
But more importantly, if I decided to teach my daughters piano, I would be depriving them of the unique one-on-one learning opportunity with an influential adult.
And by the way, to prove the opening point? Yes, I do remember my first teacher's name and what she looked like. I remember the color and make of the vehicle she drove. I remember her mannerisms, as well as the way she spoke. She was the first of many teachers, and I still remember every single one of them... although I admit that I was never particularly fond of ANY of them. (For that matter, I wasn't particularly fond of my piano lessons either, but obviously I'm extremely grateful for the experience now.)
Surprisingly, my parents allowed me to quit piano lessons when I was around 15 years old. Maybe it's because I was proficient in my clarinet playing, and they thought it was a fine trade-off, who knows? Even though I was no longer taking piano lessons, I did play from time to time and enjoyed it.
During college, I decided to give piano another try, and lo and behold, I found a whole new breed of piano instructors! It was only when I started studying piano at the college level that I finally connected with and wholeheartedly respected my mentor. That is when I made the decision to change my major from Elementary Education to Music.
Looking back on it, it seems unfathomable that I was even accepted into the music program at my college, because my previous training had been pretty spotty.
Although I was incredibly behind my peer music majors, my piano professor always made me feel worthy of my desired career path. He let me know that although I would have to work very hard to catch up with my peers, it wasn't an impossible dream. He opened the doors of the music world, and challenged me to discover it with his help.
This excerpt from the opening quotation sums it up:
"...the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in."
Without Dr. Bramblett's patience and belief in me, I think it's safe to assume that I never would have become a piano instructor, much less run my own piano studio.
If he were still alive today, I hope that he would be proud of the teacher I've become.
I definitely owe a lot of the credit to him, and his positive influence on me.
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