Yesterday Penguin Girl attended her first piano recital. But she did not perform. Ms. R, her piano teacher, has been trying to get her to agree to perform at a recital for months. She first suggested it quite a while ago when Penguin Girl finished the first Suzuki book. Penguin Girl would not agree.
She has now been taking lessons for about a year and she has progressed very quickly. Ms. R is trying a different strategy. She invited us to attend a recital at her own piano teacher's house where Penguin Girl could listen to students of all different ages and skill levels, hoping that if Penguin Girl saw what it was like, she would not be so anxious. However, Penguin Girl being the worrier that she is, was even anxious about going to watch. She thought we would somehow trick her into playing.
We went, we listened, and we heard lots of music. Penguin Girl saw that you do not have to play perfectly. In fact, older students made some mistakes just like younger students and everyone plays at their own pace. We concluded with a reluctant agreement that she would perform at the next recital on December 5th and Ms. R even suggested that she could choose an easier piece from Book 1. Stay tuned.
