Piano Lessons... Five Weeks In

I am one of those people who appreciates music, love listening to music, but can't play any instrument and don't know how to read music at all. I've regretted not learning to play music when I was a child for a loooong time. As an adult, I'd often hear that if you didn't learn to play music when you were younger, you would never be very good and that it would be so much harder to learn... Kind of what you always hear about learning a new language. With that in mind, and after four years of not being a student, I decided I missed learning.

A few months ago, I finally said Why the heck not! and sought out a piano teacher. I put a tiny ad in the local newspaper I work for, and got a few responses. Five weeks later, I am by no means brilliant, but I'm learning the basics and working my way through the book Adult Piano Adventures: Level One by Nancy and Randall Faber with my piano teacher. I have lessons once per week and try to practice three or four days a week for about 15-30 minutes a day. My weekly "homework," so far, has been learning two to three simple songs and practicing a few five finger patterns.

Honestly, it's been really fun. It doesn't feel like homework or a chore. It's just fun to be learning something new!

Brian, who is musical, likes to fiddle around playing the harmony on the songs I'm learning. It's fun to be making music as a little family. Like I told my Facebook friends after my first lesson: I just hope I'm eventually as good as the middle schooler and high schooler whose lessons are before and after mine!

Here's our first duet: