Evening Soirée
I am fortunate to have a growing number of adult piano pupils. It is a privilege for me to see people committed to learning something new at different stages of life, and to be a part of that process. I enjoy the way an adult pupil is able to articulate more easily what he or she is struggling with, and the conversations we have around different styles of learning and music.
Last night I had eight pupils round for an evening Soirée. This is the second time I’ve organised such an event, the last being about a year ago, and it is something I’ve wanted to do for many years as another way of sharing a musical experience.
So last night, at 7pm, we all crowded into my teaching room with a glass of mulled wine or apple juice to relax those with performance nerves. But that wasn’t really necessary — the atmosphere was lovely and it felt a very safe place for my pupils to experience playing to an audience. Some of them were playing for the first time, having only been learning for a few months, and there was a tangible sense of cheering each other on and willing everyone to do well.
It was wonderful to see the sense of achievement and joy when performances were successfully accomplished and the applause was so heartfelt. Considering that many in the room were unknown to each other, the sense of togetherness was remarkable.
Afterwards, over cheese and wine, there was plenty of opportunity to chat about pieces and learning experiences with ideas shared in an open and natural way.
So, as I closed the door when the last person left, I felt really happy last night, feeling good about providing this opportunity which seemed to be such a positive one, and looking forward to the next.