Dan plays the piano & video

Posted by spots (Singapore, Singapore) on 30 September 2009 in People & Portrait and Portfolio.

Watch Dan play the piano here.

I am pleased to record down that these days, Dan is voluntarily practising his piano pieces. He'll just ask to practice. Sit down. I'll open the piano and peg his books down and he'll play. It's really nice!

What a far cry from how it started--I think it was when he was 3.5 years or so. I asked my mum to teach him piano. It was a calculated risk. My earliest memories were of my mum teaching piano at home, whacking kids' fingers for not having practiced hard enough. She belonged to the old school of teaching. She was the sort of teacher you trembled before in fear of being caned. Aiew....

But with Dan, her grandson, how could she be fierce? In fact, I found the opposite to be true. At 3.5 years old, it was hard to keep me still, let alone teach him anything. Practices became stressful times of getting him to stop talking and listen to Grandma's instructions. And her soft patient nature did not help (what happened to the fierce Mummy I once knew?)

But somewhere closer to 4 years old, Dan began to change. He was able to read notes and play albeit very slowly and out of time. And he was beginning to enjoy it. You could tell--he would listen to Grandma's instructions better and I guess, she was also getting used to his tricks and was better able to manage him. Ha ha.

So since 3 weeks ago, Dan has been enjoying playing on his own. I don't do anything to hint that he should practice. But he wants to, which is nice :)

If there's anything I've learnt about kids, it's that time seems to change everything. And sometimes, they just need a bit of time to grow up. :)