Two 9-year old boys...

My two last pupils today: two 9-year old boys playing their fourth year now actually! Coming into the room I have on Wednesdays (where the Grand is and a quite nice piano, fairly new), tough! The first S. and his little brother D. frankly declared when they came that dad wasn't with them!

"Ok!"

I said with a smile over these two tough and frank boys.

Before I had ever said anything more S. started to play "the Teddybear Fredriksson" ("Teddybjörnen Fredriksson" in Swedish), quite well actually, as it was the easiest thing you can do. And after that:

"Now what!"

as if he was a bit impatient and in a hurry, didn't have time actually with a piano-lesson!?? :-)
He opened his book though to the next piece, a waltz, with two chords in the left hand (C major and G major with b in the bottom):

"I didn't understand this!"

"No problem, look!"

I said.

"This is c, the next note lies in the next space... Do you remember about stepwise melodies? So you jump over the line..."

Of course he managed this. And at last played the whole waltz "Come little girl" ("Kom lilla flicka" in Swedish) where he trains the c-major scale.

At last we tried a new piece, "Love me tender".

After him J. came. Immediately starting to draw on the "black-board" as S. and his little brother D. now had left! Hmmm... He too very tough, and without any parent, with the cap on his head!

When he sat at the Grand he played all his pieces in a row: "Oh, when the saints", the roundabout (rundgång) to "Diana" to which I played the melody, "In the mood" and at last the first part of "the Final Countdown". As this was nothing. Still with his cap on his head!

He declared that he wanted to play "the Final Countdown" and the "roundabout" to "Diana" on the informal concert the week before the autumn-vacation, thus in week 43. He had changed his mind, and taken "In the mood" away from his original decision. :-) I think it's important they play the pieces they like most and feel comfortable with.

"I want to test a piece from a new material"

I said,

"as I have been asked to test this year! Is that ok?"

It was I think. :-) So we played a short arrangement through of "Cancan"!

His dad turned up, they were in a hurry, but we informed him about what J. had decided.

"Maybe dad can play the melody to Diana on his trumpet!?"

I said to J. and his dad.
Yes, maybe.

Oh, they are so cute!!

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Tillägg 11 oktober, se om rundgång och improvisation i TV-programmet "Klassiska typer"!!