An unexpected gift from a friend

Keys, 2
Originally uploaded by Allan & Cheryl.

We met up with our friend Sharon at the FVS concert this afternoon. It was lovely chatting with her over intermisison and she floored me after the concert with offering a keyboard that had belonged to her late-dh Maurice for our children if we were willing to come to her place to pick it up.

It is a gift that I appreciate already more than I thought. While it's been more than a decade since I played piano with any regularity - it is amazing how the brain pathways still are there. I played a number of simple pieces after getting home this evening - some that I had not played since I took piano lessons in elementary school. It was a great way to relax and destress. As well as shock Allan who had not really heard me play piano.


Hands, 2
Originally uploaded by Allan & Cheryl.

We'll need to get a music stand thing to clip onto the top, a pedal for sustaining, and a midi adapter as well as beginning piano books for my "students". That's right - I"ll be teaching the older M's as well as possibly Allan at least some very beginning basic things - like the names of the notes. With literally years of music lessons and experience (including teaching beginning cello and clarinet on occasion way back) - there is no way I'm going to pay someone else to teach my kids until they read music and are past my level of playing. The kids don't know yet -they will be thrilled when they wake up in the morning!

The other good thing about this vs a regular piano is there is a thing called "volume control" and another thing called "headphones" which we need to get still. I'm happy because that means 3am playing of some sort of music IS possible. Cello just doesnt' mute heavily enough for middle of the night practice session.