I have started a new piano student this year…the younger brother of a delightful girl who I have been teaching since last year. This afternoon as I left work I wasn’t particularly enthused for my regular Wednesday piano lessons. I had spent the day, filing, checking class lists, filing, answering the phone and email, and going to meetings. In other words, it had been a less than enlightening day. Quite frankly, I was more ready for a nap than for teaching the piano. But then, in bounced this enthusiastic 8 year old, full of beans, ready to practise his songs for the eisteddfod. Last week we had talked about breathing – where to breathe, how long to hold different words for and other bits and pieces. He had clearly spent the week singing and working on his breathing. And then he couldn’t wait to show me how far ahead he had worked through his piano book. He had spent most of last year listening to his big sister play, and with an ability to play by ear we skipped the “baby” stuff in the front of the book and raced through to starting to read the notes around middle C on the staff. Homework last week was Old MacDonald. This week we are all the way up to Yankee Doodle – two hands, treble and bass clef, using all five fingers on both hands. It was an absolutely delightful half hour lesson and reminder of how quickly time passes when you are doing something you enjoy.