That'll be me.
I'm learning to play the piano.
It's great.
I can play a simplified Ode to Joy (well the first bit), and row, row, row your boat.
So. That's both me and my daughter happy.
It's fantastic. And why, oh why, didn't I do this years ago?
Well, I did. But was one of those kids who just couldn't sit still for any length of time. An out-of-doors-swinging-upside-down-with-grazed-knees kind of kid. Not a sit-still-on-the-piano-stool-learn-your-scales-and-don't-move kind of kid.
Sorry, Mum.
Although, I did, aged eight, sit still for long enough for a neighbour to teach me the national anthem and 'we shall overcome' – which, you have to admit, makes for an interesting combination.
So, here I am, having to learn to read music – and am finding myself reading patterns, rather than the notes themselves, if that makes sense. And I wonder if that is a good thing, or whether it will be my undoing.
As it was with maths. I have this very vivid memory of learning maths at primary school: being taught how to subtract. I remember asking the teacher at some point, why. And she looked at me in that exasperated way adults do with kids who ask why one too many times, and told me because that's just the way it is. We weren't there to engage in some debate about the philosophy of maths, or of how maths had come to be, just to learn the processes.
It's interesting how we learn. Is learning easier for kids? Is it more difficult as we age? Or are we making excuses? I wonder sometimes. I think children question more, adults less.
Now then, what's next [turns page]...ahhh, chords...now we're talking!
Woof, woof!
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