Picking up a musical instrument in my adulthood

 

Miss Kimberly Wong Wai Yin

 

Joy is a way of being. What makes you happy?

 

Joy is the song of my childhood. Reminiscing my memories, music is my muse. I learnt the piano and the violin when I was eight years old. The music notes and musical symbols are like a magical language that taught me to play classical songs across the centuries. After two years, I gave up learning the instruments because I failed the music exam. Now, I enjoy listening to jazz and R&B music on quiet nights. When I feel depleted, I listen to hip-hop and dance music to boost my energy. Walking across the colourful aisles and old neighbourhood in Sham Shui Po, I like going to the vinyl store to explore beautiful album covers and unhidden gems of foreign singers. Every album unravels the chapters of the musicians.

 

Being inspired by the guitar albums of Billie Eilish and Harry Styles, I bought an acoustic guitar last September and started having guitar lessons at a musical centre. At first, I thought playing the guitar was a game of Twister. I have to pick the strings precisely to play a note. Slowly but surely, I reckon playing guitar is a double dutch skipping for transitioning between different chords and tempo. In the past, I used to think practising was a hustle. This Easter holiday, I practised Shallow by Lady Gaga hundreds of times and I still enjoy playing it now. First, I memorise the music note, then move onto the correct tempo, then understand the mood of the song, and follow the original video of the lead singer. It has been a challenging yet fun process to perfect a song.

 

Soon, I realised that I had put too high an expectation on learning music when I was young. Improvement is a gradual process and it usually takes a few months to reach another stage. Playing music is about having fun, why did I put all the emphasis on perfecting my skills at the beginning? Playing music helps me become more patient and makes me understand the mindset of a learner. I understand the importance of giving timely feedback and positive praises to show my appreciation to students. If you are learning a new skill, don’t question it but keep practising it, you will reap good results over time. Cheers!