Sonatina in C Major by Muzio Clementi

If anyone had taken piano lessons or attended a piano recital of beginners, this song is a major staple.

Every time I hear this song, I am reminded of learning this song for one of my first recitals. I remember thinking, "I really am a piano player. This song is like seven pages long. And it has three movements."

Really, I am a nerd.

At any rate, there is a piano at the Coffee Shop. Sometimes people will play a few songs, just dinking around. One day, a father approached the Coffee Shop employee working at the time and asked if his daughter could practice a song at the piano. The girl was probably around 11 or 12 and she shied away from her father's request. However, once permission was granted, she sat at the piano and nervously played the first melodic phrase of Sonatina. Her father urged her on and asked her not to be shy.

She actually played the first and second movement quite well. But it didn't matter how much she struggled, her father sat there, proud of his daughter.

As I watched this scene unfold, I was reminded of numerous practices-turned-performances at my grandparents' house. I hated practicing in front of them, especially with the sudden pressure not to make a mistake. (Really, who wants to listen to Hanon technique drills and scales for a half hour?)

But when I was listening to the young girl struggle through the second movement, but conquering it at the end, I finally understood why my family liked listening to my practices. Music is a beautiful thing.

I know this is a silly dream, but I sincerely hope to own a house, finally buy that piano, and conduct piano lessons. Teaching people how to play and see them make that transition from pounding notes into producing music brings me so much joy.

And I promise you, one of my students will be playing Sonatina in C Major by Muzio Clementi at one of my piano recitals.