Music- piano playing

Does anyone here play the piano?

Well.. personally, when I was young, I used to go to piano lessons. Being in a small country in Europe, when we had to sit for exams, we took the London or Trinity College Exams. I always did pretty well. In fact my teacher, when I was pretty advanced in my lessons, told me to keep studying further - to be able to take the LRSM (The performer's "degree" in music). I studied and studied.

But unfortunately, Malta was a place (thank goodness, things have changed now!!), where you do not get encouraged to keep styudying this for the future. What I mean is that if you want to take up music as a career, there is no future in it, here. To make something of your life, I had to keep studying in school - "regular" stuff. So I had to sit for, what we call Ordinary and Advanced Leve Exams -French, Math, Italian, English... the lot.. I did well, and I went on to College and Uni. But my music ended up suffering. To be able to do well in my piano exam, I had to study for hours on end a day. In the meantime, I had my school exams to sit for. It was impossible to do both. So I had to quit studying for my music exams.

I do regret it, of course. I love playing the piano. It is relaxing. I am not saying that I would have been the top performer!! Who knows. I cannot really tell.

I would not even think of doing the exam now. I still have a piano here of course, which I do enjoy playing.

So, the lesson I have learnt from this is simple really. If there is something that you excel in, and think that you can make a future with it, go ahead, try it out. Yes, do take advice of people - like your family etc. I am sure that they mean well, and are there to help. But, don't do the mistake that I did and give up something that I loved doing! School is really important, at least I think it is. But if there is a particular subject that you are good in, work hard at it and give it your time and effort too!!

Time management is important in your life. I know that I could have done it probably if I tried managing my time better. I studied for exams, but I did not leave time to study music.Learn how to give time to your studies, play but also give that extra something to what you want to do!:)

To your success,

Mimi