We finally bought a piano! El had been practising on a keyboard for the longest time. The children like the keyboard because of the tunes and beats, and they can change the instruments too. However, we need to switch it on for them. It is also hard to gauge the amount of strength needed to play the notes on a piano.
I had been hesitating to get one because El kept complaining about how he disliked playing the piano. He still says that from time to time.
What sparked the change in mind was El’s mini piano concert held by his teacher. He practised hard and I played the accompaniment. We performed together to a group of other students’ parents over two nights.
On the first night, El fumbled slightly. On the second night, he played very well with confidence! I was so proud of him.
He finally saw some reason for practising piano. I decided it was time to get a proper piano, instead of stealing practices at my mother’s place on an infrequent basis.
I also do not have to resort to the sticker book, which was quite useful in getting him to practise piano. I had given away many Dinosaur Train DVDs as he completed getting 50 stickers for each round. I had also finally caught up with the trips to Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park and the zoo that he requested as part of the reward for achieving 50 stickers.
Therefore, we decided on getting a brand new Yamaha piano. There were a few pianos, vastly different in prices. Our interior designer had promised that there would be sufficient space in the living room, but after measuring, we could only fit in a piano that was 152cm wide and not much more. We bought the cheaper version, made in Indonesia.
When the piano first arrived, I was very sad because the notes sounded off. After a week or two, the technician came and tuned the piano. The notes sounded better. It was not so bad after all.
I really hope El will continue to play the piano. As part of the Christmas package, we have $150 worth of vouchers. I wonder what to do with them.
“I want to learn the violin,” said El recently.
Eeks, would the piano be short-lived?
