My Story: When I Finally Got a Duet Partner

 When Mr. B and his wife moved out of our area, I was left scrambling to find a new piano teacher. Mr. B had suggested that I would do well under his former teacher, but, for reasons I might delve into another time (in fact, probably should, because it might be helpful to those of you who are looking for a piano teacher), I wasn't sure I was ready for that. My personal preference was a female teacher in our own community, not a male teacher which we would have to drive 45 minutes to get to every week. (I was shy. That was the real issue.) Mr. B, ahead of his time, was also offering online lessons to the students he was leaving behind, but we lacked the most important thing needed for a successful online lesson: an internet connection that would not cut out after three minutes. 

   Thus I wound up with Mrs. C (yes, I am nicknaming my former teachers in alphabetical order). Compared to Mr. B, she was quite tame, but at that point I didn't care. She was accepting advanced students, she lived 15 minutes away, and a friend of mine was also taking lessons from her. Good enough. Also, she was good -- a good musician, a good teacher. But, you know, she didn't pop bizarre questions on me like asking what colour I thought my song was, or advocate that I jump on my piano to achieve fortissimo. Definitely a different style of teaching, one that was not nearly as dramatic.😉

   Her two areas where she excelled were Parkland Music Festival and duets.

   I had wanted to play a duet with someone for years. In MYC, where we did exclusive group lessons, we did duets all the time (though I don't remember ever doing one for a recital). But that was before I'd really discovered my passion for music. Once I had discovered it, I just couldn't seem to find someone to do a duet with me.

   Obviously I wasn't looking very well. 

   Because it was actually this other friend that I mentioned above who took the initiative. She had bought a book of hymn duets, and suggested to Mrs. C that I could be her partner in music. We were at the same level, our lessons were one after another, and we even went to the same church. It was an obvious choice. And, as it turned out, duets were something Mrs. C incorporated into all her spring recitals. 

   Oh, the joys of playing with another person! Playing by yourself is fun. Playing with a friend who loves the music as much as you do is even better. The thrill of creating the music together was extremely satisfying to my teenage soul. Of course, the challenge with duets is that you have to stay together for timing. Also you need to be aware of what the other person's playing, who is leading when, and those sorts of details. Still, the challenges didn't frustrate me. Not when I was getting what I had longed for for so long. 

   The next year, my friend had quit piano for personal reasons. Mrs. C, however, was quick to pair me up with one of her other students, a girl who just happened to be Mrs. C's best advanced student. (I know this because of Festival. When we both went to Showcase two years in a row, she was always in the top place on the program.) We learned a Schubert Fantasia together. I loved that piece! 

   I'm so glad that, through Mrs. C, I had the opportunity to experience the joys of playing duets. 

(This is the Schubert Fantasia, or part of it, that we played. I don't remember if this is just the third movement or just the fourth or both, but we played third and fourth.)