Piano Lesson

Today, Kala Uhuru taught me to play the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. I learned the octaves and their correlation to the black keys and basic music reading skills. I learned the name of the spaces and lines on the musical sheet so much so that I was able to draw my own diagram of the song, making a musical sheet under Kala’s instruction.

It was dynamic. Kala is home schooled and attended a Waldorf school during her early years and this I believe has helped to expand her thinking beyond that of traditional education. I explained to Kala, as we were reflecting on the lesson, that it was a difficult process for me because to play an instrument you must simultaneously employ both a theory and its correlating action. I, unfortunately, have never had to do both these things. I received educational training in the neglected public system. I was able to drift onto other levels of thought, not focusing my full attention on the task at hand, because it was not necessary. I could perform optimally without mindfully directing my attention and focus to my studies. And this mindful directing of mental processes is an act that requires discipline, a necessary skill set for the students that I am interested in producing.

I had to exercise parts of my mind that have up until now seemed dormant. I eased into a mental space that felt comfortable because the act of playing the piano, which requiring disciplined focus, was effortless. I became very concerned about my level of performance. I made no excuses for my mistakes, they were errors that with greater attention could be easily avoided and the learning process sparked this new found sense of responsibility within my.

This, it seems, is the attitude that Kala has developed in relation to her education. She takes it upon herself to study the questions that confront her as she moves through her life. I first realized this tendency of hers when Kala wanted to dye her hair a lighter color and so engaged in conversation with me about the pros and cons of different approaches. She had settled on using henna and started her research project anew in order to pick a brand that would give her the best coloring results while maintaining the health of her hair and body. She applied the same deduction and organizational skills to find the most effective piano lesson material online. This attitude of independence regarding the acquisition of knowledge transcended her academic studies.

Overall, learning to play the piano was a meditative experience. I had to constantly reign my mind in, pushing out distractions at will. And the result, the achieved state that was due to this mental exercise, was like the tuned and connected state of mind experienced after meditation. Playing the piano under Kala’s tutelage required me to be in a mindful state. As I eased into this mental space, everything, at once, became more significant then before. I listened closely to every section of each note and wondered, How can I express the unsayable here? How can I interpret?