Article by Tony Tang
When I was little, I had to choose and learn at least one instrument. Don’t be shocked because this is what most people do if you are born and live in China. For many reasons, I chose piano and started my five year piano study journey. As I said, I only studied the piano for five years until I dropped it. The biggest reason that I dropped it was that I wasn’t patient enough to sit on the chair playing the notes on the paper for two hours every day whilst watching my friends have fun in the playground. However I won many competitions during those five years.
Many people find it hard to persuade your family to listen to your opinions. It was the same case for me as well. It took me a lot of time to get them to let me out of the ‘prison’. I was very happy because I always wanted to stop playing the piano, and when I did, I felt released. After a short time, I threw away everything I learnt, I forgot everything about the piano, and I felt like a fresh man. I started doing other things very quickly, like what I enjoyed at that time, such as sports, drawing and maths. I didn’t touch one key until I regretted the decision I made.
Yes, I regretted it. When I was 14, I had a very good friend who was very skilled at the piano. He plays every masterpiece; he was an expert in theorems and, most importantly, he was also quite good at teaching. Notes played by his hand are inspirational, at least that’s what I felt. So, I told him that I had experience in piano and, after listening to him playing, I really wanted to pick it up again. He was happy, in fact, he was very glad that he had inspired someone. And, of course, he helped me.
I’m 15 now, and I’ve chosen music as one of my GCSE courses. I always express myself through playing the keys instead of taking my emotions out on people.