The Pianist

I never lied to the kids at school. If they blew a piece of music in a concert, we always talked afterwards. Depending on what type of student they were, I would either use humor (That was interesting!) or I would just ask, “What happened?” I never told a child that they performed well when we both knew it was not true.

One child became an international competitor in piano. He was working on a harrowing piece by Moshkowski that was all over the keyboard at a very fast clip. If the fingering is not correct, fumbling happens. As he was getting it under his hand, I had him play it in front of his small classroom music class. Playing in front of an audience allows a musician to find what needs work, especially during transitions

Months later, I had him play in front of a small lunchtime concert usually attended and for younger students. We would sometimes use this time to test pieces. As he got it down better and better, I had him play during a nighttime concert for intermediate and advanced students.

Finally, when he had it close to competition ready, I had him perform it during an assembly for the entire school. By that time, I knew the piece really well. He began. All was going well until a fumble happened. He was brilliant as he didn’t stop or slow down. He kept moving playing various notes until he got it under control and continued. When he got up from the piano, he took a deep bow. (That is something I taught the kids. If you act like you are happy with the performance, few people will notice or remember the mistakes.)

 We caught each other’s eye. When everyone was dismissed for lunch, he came over to see me. All I said was, “You and I are the only people in the entire room who know what happened. Nice save.” He smiled.

He ended up nailing the piece and winning the competition.

 When he graduated, he was ranked number two in the world. He continues to compete in competitions internationally and is currently studying in Germany. He is 17-years old. I just got a lovely photo and note from his parents.

 I will never forget one day, I was walking through the gym at lunch and there he was playing basketball. BASKETBALL! The sport of jammed and broken fingers! In my office I told him, “David, you can’t play basketball. You are in the midst of working towards the competition in a month and can’t afford a broken finger. Sorry, but you’re banned from basketball.” He was not happy and left my office. Fifteen minutes later, he was back. “Can I play soccer?” I replied, “Perfect! Break your leg! I don’t care. Just don’t hurt your arms or fingers.”