Private Lessons

My son has had the opportunity to learn piano from Mr. Slocumb for almost three years. He began when he was just five years old. If you had told me then that in less than thirty-six months he would be playing music with the vibrance and confidence he is today, I would have said it was impossible. But the hesitant, inconsistent pressing of keys those first few months have become controlled and coordinated that are beginning to reveal feeling and emotion.

To be clear, my son was not predestined with uncommon musical genius. He is a typical boy who asked to learn to play the piano. His progress is what one would expect. He has consistently moved himself from one level to the next. What has been different about his experience is that it happened with a teacher who has made every lesson engaging. He has learned from a teacher who took the time to discover my son’s personality and what motivates him and aligned his teaching to this particular student. This is what I think puts Mr. Slocumb in the category of exceptional teachers, his ability to create the learning environment that will allow each particular student to bloom. The fact Mr. Slocumb does not apply a ‘one size fits all’ pedagogy is what I cherish. For the thirty minutes they are together, it is focused on learning to love learning to play the piano.

I also do not want to sell either Mr. Slocumb or my son’s achievements short. Let me share story that I believe illuminates several attributes I cherish about Mr. Slocumb.

When my son was in kindergarten he decided to perform in the school’s talent show. He attends a school that is kindergarten through eighth grade so it takes some inner resolve to perform in front of so many ‘big kids’. This is the first quality I attribute to Mr. Slocumb, his skill in building one’s confidence about sharing music with others. It was a completely natural thing for my son to want to do. Second, Mr. Slocumb came to the talent show. In the middle of his own busy schedule, he made time to come and support his student. I believe this demonstrates how invested Mr. Slocumb is in supporting his students’ growth. And finally there was the product, my son’s rendition of Ode to Joy. He walked across the gym, climbed up onto the piano bench, his feet still dangled above the ground and placed his hands above the keys. Then he began, his fingers moved confidently from one key to the next without hesitation or repetition due to a missed key or mistake. He played as if he were at home at our old upright piano, rather than on a grand piano with over two hundred people watching him. When he finished the applause was sincere and loud for they all recognized the achievement. Then as the gym quieted I heard a seventh grade student sitting ahead of me whisper to his buddy “I can ‘t believe that was a kindergartener!” That is the gem of this story, what having Mr. Slocumb as a teacher provides. His students create music that moves people and they achieve what others, even a mom, did not think was possible.

I would conclude with another quote that I feel captures Mr. Slocumb:

 “[Kids] don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” ― Jim Henson