So Many topics relate to music!
By Won
Who Is My Personal Hero?
Sympathetic, passionate, amiable. These are some words that would very well describe what a wonderful person my piano teacher is. Teaching for numerous years, Mrs. Felder had accomplished so many great things in her life. During her teaching career, she got to meet many different people, sharing her unending wisdom with students. My most memorable experience with my piano teacher was in the fall of last year, when I took a great opportunity to perform a concerto with an orchestra; very few kids got to undergo this enriching experience. Although there were few mistakes in my performance, I thought it was one of my best performances in my experience with the piano. There were many challenges and obstacles that I had faced to get to this point of mature musicality. It took many hours of practice, many instances of reluctantly listening to Mrs. Felder, and many efforts of focus. My personal hero, Mrs. Felder, is a person that helped me accomplish many of these difficult things; I am very grateful to have met this great inspiration.
Micronations and My Piano Teacher? What's the Connection?
My personal hero, Mrs. Felder, grew up in a very small town in Minnesota. Specifically, the town name was called Eveleth. In the interview with her, I realized that she was bit of an outsider in her town. This was because the whole town was interested in hockey, while Mrs. Felder was a piano enthusiast. Also, there were problems that she faced for growing up in a small town. Once Mrs. Felder had to move out of her home town for college and her future life, it was challenging getting accustomed to the bigger communities she visited. My personal hero relates to micronations because she grew up in a small town; in a national scale, a micronation is the corresponding counterpart to a small town. Additionally, some people do not take the idea of micronations seriously when they declare sovereignty over a territory of land. Also, people that live in a micronation are often considered to be a joke. This is similar to Mrs. Felder because she was often called a “small town” girl and judged by where she came from.
Mrs. Felder in the Kawai Piano's Eyes
Great. Once again, I have to get hit by the virtuosic owner of mine. As a percussion instrument, getting hit is a daily thing. I met her several years ago, when I was purchased to serve as her second piano in her studio. To be honest, I don’t absolutely hate being played on almost 24/7; it’s obviously better than sitting in “Kurt Saphir Pianos” all day long. Adding on to that, I should actually be glad that I have such a great owner. I know for a fact that not all pianos get proper care and respect like they deserve. I had an upright piano friend of mine that was purchased by a wealthy family. He got placed in their living room, simply for decoration! He was not be used often or taken care of. As time passed, he eventually lost the good strings and hammers he once had, and lost the robust quality of wood he was composed of. Eventually, he had to get thrown out, never have been used in his lifetime.
Yes, I admit it now, I am very lucky to have such a wonderful owner, Mrs. Felder. Whenever a pencil drops in my front lid and makes me unable to produce any sound, Mrs. Felder would position the lid perpendicular to the ground and slowly pull it upwards. The feeling of a pencil being taken out is so relieving; it’s like being a mute and being able to speak again. Also, as time passes, my voice becomes tired and I become less “in tune”, as humans describe it. Unfortunately, some pianos do not get taken care of, so they cannot get their pitch on spot as it once was. Fortunately so, I really get taken care well: once a month, a professional tuner would come visit me to tune me.
I am owned by a piano teacher, which means I get to meet many different students. I am not used by the different individuals that come inside this room; my neighbor Steinway is the piano for the students. However, I can hear different sounds of these individuals, and get to know how they sound like. I am not jealous of Steinway because Mrs. Felder is a great pianist. She is able to evoke a very romantic sound in me in very slow and lyrical passages in music, while being able to produce a magnificent, rich sound in very grand sections. I know, I should feel very lucky to be a possession of a great pianist. With the experience of hers, it is exciting to sing what she provokes in me. Not to mention the amazing maintanance that she gives me. Well, I guess I’ll still continue be the loyal and sweet-sounding piano that I always was!