I asked my parents one day, “Why did I have the piano?”
They replied, “Playing the piano makes you smarter. It makes you better at math.” I didn’t understand how playing the piano correlated to mathematical skills, but I didn’t question them any further. My parents believed that learning to play a musical instrument made you smarter. Thus, my brothers and I began to take piano lessons when we were young. We followed the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) method, which was “one of the largest and most respected music education institution in the world.” They had 10 levels with 2 preparatory levels and held examinations for each level which helped to “provide a national standard for students, parents and teachers to track and measure progress and achievements.” If you passed the exam, you would be able to proceed to the next level, but if you failed, you would have to retake the exam at a later date.
The exams were strict and had a number of requirements for each level. The exams had two parts: a theory (written) component and a practical (musical) component. The theory examinations evaluated the student’s knowledge of theory, harmony, counterpoint, analysis and music history. They were one to three hours and were held in classroom settings. The practical examinations evaluated the student’s musical development by having them play three to five memorized pieces of repertoire (longer classical pieces), one or two studies/études (short musical composition designed to perfect a particular musical skill) and a variety of scales, chords, and arpeggios. In addition, the exam evaluated a student’s musicianship skills through identifying intervals by ear, cadences, chord qualities, and ear-to-hand playback of melodies and rhythms.
The examinations were not mandatory, but nevertheless, my brothers and I were pushed by Mother and piano teachers to take the exam at the end of each level so that we could advance to the next level. I would on average finish one level at the end of every school year. I hated the rigidity of the RCM method and the high pressure of the exams. I hated being pushed by my parents to practice the piano for an hour or two everyday. I forgot whether or not we were punished for playing wrong notes. However, I did remember Mother sitting by me whenever I played to make sure that I was actually practicing and playing correctly. One time she stated, “You and your brothers are lucky. When I was young and played a wrong note, my piano teacher used a wooden ruler to hit my knuckles.” I rolled my eyes
In addition to the exam, Mother signed me up for piano competitions. Although I was good and was able to achieve bronze and silver certificates at several piano competitions, I wasn’t naturally gifted. I absolutely hated the piano competitions, as if there wasn’t enough stress from the examinations. As I got older, my parents began to be less strict with the piano. I would slack off in my piano lessons and would barely practice. Eventually, I stopped taking piano lessons in high school when my parents wanted me to focus solely on school and studying.
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