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I began learning the piano and clarinet when I was six years old. I played because I thought that was what my dad wanted. I went through the motions but music was boring because I had a teacher who was old and serious. Classical music was a joyless experience.
By the age of eight, music was just a tedious chore. I begged my dad to let me give up. But then my teacher moved, I got a new, teacher and he suddenly made things enjoyable and fun.
He remembered what it was like to be a kid – a child just starting to play music. I discovered the joy of music – the delight in playing, the thrill of performing. I started winning music prizes.
At home we had a wreck of a piano. One day when I was 11, we were in Chappels. A beautiful Yamaha was on sale at half price. I begged my dad (who has brought me and my brother up alone) to buy it. In a moment of what he called ‘absolute madness’ he put a deposit on it. A month later, Chappels rang and asked for the balance.
He borrowed money and said: ‘I must be crazy...’
But he wasn’t crazy. Ten years later, he describes that piano as ‘the best investment I’ve ever made’. I played it every day, encouraged by my young, fun teacher who made every piece I learnt an exciting challenge. One day, he gave me the 1st Movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (Adagio Sostenuto). I came back the following week having learnt it. Not only that, but I could also play the first two pages of the 3rd Movement (Presto Agitato). From then on, I always practised pieces of the same standard, such as Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor. I took grades but my biggest interest was in complex pieces. And when I became a teenager I found these pieces a wonderful outlet for all the stresses of teenage life.
I was still playing the clarinet. It is useful to have two instruments. Learning one instrument often enhances the playing of another. The piano was great for playing alone – expressing yourself musically with complete freedom. The clarinet was great for playing in an orchestra – learning how to fit in with other musicians.
At the age of 14 I got a music scholarship to Charterhouse School. I was lucky enough to have a great piano teacher there. These days I play pop and classical pieces – on the clarinet and piano.
The point of this article however, is not to talk about my musical career but to stress the benefits of having a music teacher who inspires you when you’re starting off. I will never forget that first teacher who made playing fun and enjoyable. If I hadn’t had that fun teacher, I probably would have given up music and would never have enjoyed all the benefits that playing an instrument can bring. The best music teachers for children in the early stages of playing an instrument are fun, enthusiastic, not over-serious people (who don’t cost their parents a fortune). They are fun people who remember clearly what it’s like to be a kid and who appreciate how important lighting that musical fire can be.
