(Written by a former resident of Shanghai)

          I read an article on this blog by a student named Grace who described her dislike of piano playing and her plan to switch to another instrument.  That happens to many children. 

          My granddaughter took piano lessons for almost two years even though she wasn’t sure she liked the instrument.  Each week, her teacher assigned pieces to be practiced, and she would run through them twice a day.  I told her that wasn’t enough, that she should be practicing each of them as much as 10 times.  It didn’t help when I played a couple of pieces for her in an effort to show that it wasn’t difficult, as she just wasn’t interested at that time in her life, and she quit soon after. 

          It was a surprise, therefore, when she suddenly started to play again last year.  She now likes it and plays very well.

 I think it’s wonderful that children today can do pretty much anything they like if their parents agree and are willing to help.  That’s very different than it was during my childhood.

When I was a child during World War II, the main thing that everyone wanted was to live in peace, and it was unfortunate that tragedy struck our family with the death of my father.  I was only ten years old.  I’d had to leave school for a year during his illness, and after he died my mother didn’t want to send me back.  She thought it was better for a girl to stay home and learn housework.  My older brother finally convinced her, however, that I should return to school.  It was wonderful to be there again.          

Children at that age have many interesting things they like to do, but I was content spending my time studying.  I had no other desires.  As the years passed, however, I grew to like music, and one day my oldest brother game me a harmonica that he had owned for a long time.  I didn’t know how to play it, and none of my classmates played one, but I remembered that he had told a friend that you blow in it to produce do, ray, mi and the other notes.  After working at it for quite a while, I learned how to play very simple songs and remember well how much mother didn’t like it when I played.  She said that a girl shouldn’t play a harmonica.    

Soon after that, a classmate began playing the piano, and she invited me to her home so I could play it, too.  I liked it so much that I wanted to take lessons, but my mother disagreed.  That was a disappointment, but I didn’t give up hope that one day I’d be able to play.

A teacher at school also let me practice on the school’s piano free of charge, and with the money I earned by helping a boy with his homework, I was able to have one piano lesson.  I couldn’t afford anymore, however, so I drew a piano keyboard and practiced playing simple songs on it.  It made no sound, of course.  Anyone watching me might have thought that what I was doing was much like the experience of a deaf person playing a piano, but I enjoyed doing it.    

All of those things happened many years ago, but my daughter remembered how much I’d wanted to play the piano, and three years ago she gave me an electric organ.  It was a very thoughtful gift, but I find that I rarely play it.  My life has changed, and I’ve found that I’m much more interested now in studying English so that’s how I spend most of my time.