This weekend I had the huge pleasure of spending an afternoon with my former piano teacher, Mrs. Carol Turner-Compton. My family and I visited her and her husband at their apartment. I had not seen her in a year and a half, and I did not realize how much I missed her. We ate at the nice dining room in their building and reminisced about the days when I was her student in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades.
It was so nice to talk about music in general and to just enjoy each other’s company. She talked about when she herself had started lessons as a 5 year old in Chicago, and how she continues to play for fun and for others to this day. She is in her 80’s now and has a little trouble with her memory but had no trouble remembering anything related to music and the time we spent together when she was my teacher! Later, I was able to play some pieces for her on her grand piano in the apartment, including some pieces she had never heard before!
I was sad to leave, but I hope to see her again soon, and maybe perform at the retirement village and meet more of the residents. Mrs. Turner-Compton was one of my first teachers, and taught me that as long as you love the music and love to play, you can always influence and inspire others.
P.S. A bit of Mrs. Turner-Compton’s advice: “Fast practice equals slow progress.
Slow practice equals fast progress.
No practice equals no progress.”