My parents both grew up in the countryside of south Taiwan and they didn’t have much music education and never learned how to read music. They thought it was a great thing for me to be able to learn playing an instrument.
My mom was pretty excited about me learning the piano. She felt like she was also learning it at the same time. She used to attend all my lessons the first three years and took notes, however, I have no memory of her practicing with me at home.
She said there were no tricks to make practicing easier. She would bribe or threaten me and my dad said there was “no dinner” until I finished practicing!
The worst argument was choosing college majors…My dad preferred me to be a music education major instead of performing arts.
My mom always felt encouraged from the teachers but also afraid that she couldn’t really help me much down the road because of her non-musical background. In a way I think it made me independent early on, because I am solely responsible for all the work I had to do. It’s very rewarding for my parents to see me performing on stage. They think as long as I love what I do, everything is worth it.
Holiday Piano Recital
