When I was a kid my father bought me a piano organ as a gift. Back then I was taking up voice lessons at Center for Pop Music Philippines and I was also a member of our school choir, so I was familiar with recitals and competitions. Having mentioned that I can sing, hindi po golden ang voice ko, LOL. Hindi rin ako soprano. I know how to sing lang because I was trained, and my ears are naturally sensitive sa off key/off pitch singing.

So the plan was for me to take piano lessons but I couldn’t remember now why it didn’t push through. Honestly, I regret that I didn’t learn how to play a musical instrument or two. I can easily teach my son how to write scholarship essays, but with music we will need a professional.

When hubby and I happened to pass by a LYRIC store, we had this “eureka” moment na, “That’s it! What if we enroll Z?” and that’s how our eldest son’s musical journey started. Sayang naman din kasi yung lumang piano ko, ilang taon naitago tapos not one of us knows how to use it. 🙂

LYRIC Institute of Music and Related Arts

It was late 2017 when Z started his piano lessons at Lyric Philippines. We paid for the piano lesson fee of PHP 7,000 for 12 sessions. Z had an additional 2 sessions kasi umabot kami sa promo, so he’s got 14 sessions in total. The following enrollments meron ding additional sessions kasi laging may promo. 🙂

It’s 1 hour per session and his schedule is once a week; can be increased in frequency, depending on your schedule and the schedule of the teacher. An hour per week is not intensive at all, actually medyo slow ang progress but we like it that way so he can still do a lot more things with his free time.

I also don’t want him to feel pressured or stressed and I’m happy that he’s just enjoying the whole experience.

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He was supposed to join the recital last year but he was admitted to the hospital due to Mesenteric Adenitis. We paid PHP 3,000 but it couldn’t be refunded so nag-mini recital na lang kami sa bahay. Lyric still gave us his certificate.

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Practice makes Progress

His Teacher E gave us a list of books to buy so he can also practice at home. He has more than 5 books already.

He also watches tutorials on YouTube. I would often suggest songs to him then he would tell me beforehand kung hindi niya kaya, but I always tell him to try first. There are some songs na hindi niya talaga gusto, so okay lang.

He practices almost everyday for 30 minutes to an hour, but it really depends on his mood. He would often use the computer to play video games or use the iPad to read Epic books or play games, so everyday I’m giving him a checklist of tasks or activities (including playing the piano) to finish and only then he can be allowed to use his gadgets. On better days he would go straight to the piano and practice until he gets tired.

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Children laren at their own pace

In his own pace” — I always remind myself of this lately. Parenting two boys who will build a family in the future (or not, still okay for me 🙂 ) is a big responsibility. There are times na gusto ko mature na sila, advanced sila, or ahead sila so they can be prepared for anything (or appear to be). But in reality, they’re still little boys who need more time to play and to discover themselves at their own pace.

I learned this the hard way when my bunso was diagnosed with Autism. He’s delayed and there was a time na gusto kong makahabol siya.. But I knew better. Children learn at their pace, especially for kids with special needs.

And then I have been preparing and training my panganay on how to take care of our bunso na madalas nasasabi niya, “Mom, I’m so tired.” Physically and emotionally tired. We have no yaya so imagine when I’m busy working online and he’s the one in charge of his little brother.

So as much as possible I want to achieve balance in our family life, in my eldest son’s life. I take him to different places & establishments, enroll him in workshops and other enriching activities, and find opportunities for his personal growth & development.

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Learning the piano also became a form of escape for him from the chaos that is our daily lives, and it helps him in so many other ways. For one, he’s now familiar with musical notes and his school grades improved.

Here are the benefits of music lessons for young kids:

• Boosts brain power & IQ, thus improving academic performance. My son’s grades improved, lalo na sa Music na almost perfect / perfect scores lagi.
• Builds self-confidence & self-esteem
• Improves muscle development & motor skills. Z has problems with fine motor skills and playing the piano strengthens his muscles.
• Teaches discipline & patience. There was this one time that he told me he doesn’t want to attend his piano sessions anymore because his teacher scolded him the last time. I thought about what he said for a long time and I realized that he needs to acknowledge or accept other authorities other than ours. So sabi ko, “Your teacher only wants you to get better that’s why you get reprimanded from time to time.”
• Cultivates social skills
• Helps kids learn about different cultures through a variety of musical influences

He’s now on his 4th enrollment under a new teacher (and a new rate of PhP 8,000). I don’t know until when he’s going to play the piano but I now I’m thinking of drums or violin in the near future. 🙂

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Published: 2019-07-08 11:25:09