Egghead's Cracks: Angel of Music

After reading a post by one of my coursemates regarding music in Random Rantings (I've got a similar post there), I am compelled to write about my experience of learning music.

It is rather hard to believe that I have already been into music for almost ten years. I started taking up music lessons at the age of nine, an age which many people would deem as "too late" for music education; most of them who learn music took lessons at the age of four to six.

I can't really tell what made me decide to learn how to play the piano (actually, it is "pianoforte" or some even call it as "fortepiano"). It started off when I saw the Kimball piano (it is obsolete, I believe) standing in the hall of my grandparents' house (where I shall be moving into soon). That was when I was just about four or five years old. I knew nothing about the piano then, but I was fascinated with its ability to produce different tones and found the functions of the pedals. The seed of learning the piano had been planted then, but it grew ever so slowly.

I never knew that my uncle and aunt, who was then still living with my grandparents, could play the piano and I was immensely impressed when both of them played a duet. Perhaps, that was the leaping point for me. I knew that I could have started learning music at that age, but I knew not what was it that held me back from attending lessons until I was nine years old.

The opportunity came when my parents' office moved to an area near my house. There was a conservatory of music just a few blocks away from the office. It was there then that I told my mother about my interest in learning music. She approved of that immediately, for I used to spend my days in my parents' office without having much to do. She took me to the conservatory and enrolled me. I told the principal that I wanted to learn the piano.

My mother thought that I wanted to learn music just for the sake of learning, or just for the fun of it. However, when my parents' office was shifted off again, and the conservatory of music did not provide private (in-house) lessons, my mother decided to stop having lessons from that conservatory (because it was a hassle to fetch me up and down). Therefore, I had a new lady teacher (my first music teacher was a man) who would come to my house every Saturday or Sunday to teach me music.

I never had a piano in my house, until my third and fourth paternal aunts came back from The Netherlands to visit. Before they left, quietly, my third aunt purchased a Kawai upright piano without my father's knowledge. My father refused it at first after the piano dealer called my father, but then after knowing that it is a gift for me from my aunt, he consented. My fourth aunt bought us a new 29-inches television.

With a piano at home, I had my lessons with my new piano teacher who literally watched me grow up (I was then shorter than she was; now I am way taller). She had been teaching me piano for seven years, watching me undergoing puberty (blah blah blah), listening to how my voice broke, paying attention to my playing the piano and so on.

My mother still thought that I took up piano just for fun, and it wasn't until when my teacher told her that she wants to enrol me for my first ABRSM Theory examination that my mother knew that I meant business. She readily paid up the examination fees and I took my first Theory and Practical examinations the following year.

These were the moments when I got exposed to Classical music. Back then, I admired Richard Clayderman's playing and was a great fan of Ludwig van Beethoven (now Chopin, Brahms, Debussy, Tchaikovsky are some of my top favourites in addition to Beethoven). This was mainly why I got minimal or almost no exposure to modern music such as Rock or Pop (I must admit, I am one of those "hardcore" Classical musicians who do not consider Rock as music, even until now *grins*).

I got a distinction for my first Theory examination and a merit for my Practical, but towards the end of my musical education, I got distinctions for my Practical examinations and would only pass or pass with merit for my Theory. My teacher said that I am more of the type who like to perform, which suits me well if I were to take up music until Diploma level (Performance or Recital only).

Sure enough, I continued my piano studies (skipped Grades 2 and 4) until Grade 8. My teacher suggested that I switch to Trinity College London (TCL) for my Grade 8 instead of ABRSM for it was said that TCL examinations are easier compared to ABRSM. I was indignant and insisted that I go for ABRSM Grade 8. I had my way, of course, and I passed my Grade 8 Practical with distinction, with a score of 141 out of 150 (my highest)! Though I was one of the highest, I don't think I was the highest.

Encouraged by my Grade 8 results, I was determined to finish up my musical education up to Diploma. I considered TCL for my Associate Diploma, but as the fee was too high (the exchange rate back then in 2004 was 1 Pound Sterling to 7 Ringgit Malaysia) I decided to take up my Diploma from Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB). My neighbour, who had taken examinations from AMEB said that it is much harder to pass the AMEB Diploma compared to TCL though AMEB is much cheaper. Nevertheless, I was always up for a challenge and decided to continue with AMEB.

My teacher was reluctant to teach me then, because she also had only an Associate Diploma and I was her first Diploma student. My mother and I insisted that she teaches me because I find her a very nice and dedicated teacher. She finally consented and checked the tuition fee from the quotation provided by AMEB. She gave me a prize which I couldn't refuse. She wanted RM200 per month. It was cheap! I remembered calling up other music centres and they demanded at least RM350 per month!

I only had about ten months to prepare for my Diploma because I was determined to finish it off within a year before my SPM examinations. It was no easy task as I spent almost two months selecting pieces for my examination. So, in the end, I had only about four solid months to practise (the other four months were spent on music analysis and searching for books). After that four months, I sat for the exam (I was nervous!) and the examiners (two of them) were rather pleased with my performance. In the end, I passed (I didn't know that I did quite well for I wasn't happy with my performance that day) and obtained my certificate stating that I am now an Associate of Music, Australia bearing the title A.Mus.A (or AMusA; watch your pronunciation, Joe!).

I thought that my quest for learning music would end here. It was not the case. I am still determined to continue pursuing my musical studies on my own. Now, I want to take up the Diploma in Public Performance by Australian GUILD of Speech & Music to obtain the Dip.PP.AGM title.

I have now changed my piano. Although my new piano is still a Kawai, it is now an upright GRAND piano, slightly bigger than my old one.

It has always been my dream to own a Steinway & Sons piano, but as one first-hand Steinway would cost up to RM800000 per piano, I guess I'd better postpone my dream.

How would I rate my learning experience? Well, all I could say is that it has been an unforgettable one; one filled with passion and emotion.