Spotlight Student of the Month: Darby

Molly here:

I had a great time interviewing Darby and starting her off as our first spotlight student of the month! When I first had originally met Darby, she was taking lessons with another teacher at another music school so that her sister could take lessons with me. After a few years, Darby decided to transition teacher’s to me and switch it up from learning pretty strictly classical to jumping into more modern music, songwriting and pop music!

DARBY - 

8th Grade, 13yr, 6yrs of lessons

Q: Why did you originally start lessons? 

A: I originally started and wanted to learn violin but my dad said to learn piano first to learn the basics and roots of music. Funny now, I have no interest in violin lessons but loves piano still. 

Q: What do you think has made you keep doing lessons all these years?

A: From the beginning I started learning super classical music but wanted to play and sing pop songs so I switched to you and was able to start doing pop music and singing! 

Q: What is your favorite piece of music youve ever played?

A: We Wish You A Merry Christmas duet was the first song I was able to play and sing and that fulfilled my dream of playing piano and now I get to expand upon it. 

Q: What is your favorite piece of music youve played to date?

A: My favorite still is We Wish You A Merry Christmas because its the first one that isn’t just a classical piece. 

Q: Why do you think its important to be a well rounded musician and play multiple different genres?

A: Being able to play by ear and using chords to do that verses just reading music seems to challenge me more. When I get older, I can perform so many different things without needing to practice because I can play chords and play pop music. They are also sometimes easier to remember than classical pieces. 

Q: What do you like about your teacher that inspires you to do more and keep on in lessons? 

A: I switched here because I didnt just want to do old, classical pieces and have more variety in the types of piano music that I play. I feel comfortable and feel like I am able to express myself in any creative way I want. 

Q: Do you find value in knowing how to play more than an instrument? 

A: Yes because if you play multiple instruments you have more freedom choosing different songs and then it can translate to both instruments. 

Q: Do you find value in starting lessons in piano first now that you have added on a 2nd instrument? 

A: Yes because learning piano helps you with notes and chords as a foundation before you start playing guitar, ukulele, etc. I feel it’s harder to learn plain notes on guitar than it is on piano because piano is more visual and you can directly hit a key that has a certain image, guitar is harder. 

Q: If you had 3 tips for someone starting new, what would they be?

A: Have patience with learning because it doesnt always come easy or right away 

    Try to pick pieces you want to play and are going to enjoy; stick through on the pieces your teacher tells you you might like even if you think you’re not going to. 

When I cried each week, I thought about how much better I will be in a few weeks and ill be able to show all my friends.