I take piano lessons. I took lessons briefly as a kid and started again in March of 1999. I have very little if any natural talent and even after 6 years of lessons I don’t think I’m very good but that’s not the point. I really enjoy the whole process. I play for myself.
I am a firm believer that almost anything can be learned if you work hard enough at it. Algebra comes easy to me but to a lot of people it doesn’t. I have some talent at Algebra but even someone with no natural Algebra talent can learn Algebra . It is that way with me and music. I’ll never be great but as I take lessons and practice regularly I am constantly improving. I love seeing the progress.
I find that playing the piano takes total concentration so not only am I learning music but I am also learning how to stay focused. And most of all I just enjoy it.
I also believe that taking piano lessons is good for me. There was an article in the New Scientist a few months ago called 11 Steps to a Better Brain. It is a very interesting article but the point that is relevant to this blog entry is that music lessons may improve your brain. I can believe it. But the bottom line is playing the piano is just plain fun.
Marion's Blog 