Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Brainiac (01/02/25)
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TITLE: The Gift | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ellen Janson
01/08/25 -
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”It’s probably Jack,” Ellen answered, referring to her five year old son.
”You do realize he’s trying to create something,” Colleen said, “he’s not just banging on the keys.”
”Yeah, I know,” Ellen said. “Everywhere he finds a piano, he gravitates toward it.”
”Maybe get him some lessons?” Colleen cited the obvious.
Jack was the fourth boy within six years. Ellen’s husband, Andrew, had been an athlete in college - they were a “sports family”. All four boys were on soccer and baseball teams, with Andrew coaching many of them. They were barely keeping up with practices and games. The last thing Ellen needed was another job. Not to mention, they didn’t own a piano - or even a toy that resembled one.
Still, the rest of their Christmas week in St. Louis, Jack continued to seek out a piano at every relative’s home. And Ellen had to agree with her sister-in-law that he definitely was not just making noise. She vowed to find a piano teacher when they returned home.
”I don’t teach children that young,” the first piano teacher said. “A five year old can’t sit still long enough to learn.”
“But he does sit still long enough,” Ellen pleaded. “I’ve seen him sit on a piano bench for over 30 minutes many times. He has practically taught himself to play ‘Carol of the Bells’ in its entirety just by listening to his cousin play.”
Still, the woman refused to entertain the idea.
The next piano teacher Ellen found was skeptical, but agreed to listen to Jack play.
“We’ll give it a try,” she told her. “But he will have to learn to read music. He’ll have to start with ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’. This might be frustrating for him.”
Thus began weekly (increasingly anticipated) piano lessons at his teacher’s home. About one year into them, she called to discuss Jack’s progress.
“Have you had your piano tuned recently?” she asked.
We only purchased a piano last month, Ellen thought to herself. She was embarrassed to admit that Jack had been practicing on a borrowed child’s keyboard, until only just recently when they had scraped together enough money to purchase a used upright for his sixth birthday. Ellen knew practically nothing about music and stumbled in her response.
“The reason I’m asking,” his teacher rescued her, “is because I’m noticing that Jack is often transposing the keys.”
”I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean by that,” Ellen sheepishly admitted.
”It’s when a student makes adjustments - sometimes for an out of tune piano. I only come across these kids every once in a while. I call them brainiacs because it’s not something I can teach.” She was very excited, and continued, “it’s just by ear. Jack hears that the song doesn’t sound right on your piano, so he makes an adjustment by moving up or down on the keys.”
Ellen tried to grasp the teacher’s excitement, and agreed to have their new (used) piano tuned. Only later that evening, as she was sharing this conversation with her husband, did she begin to marvel at Jack’s apparent gift.
Jack continued to excel at piano until he turned twelve, at which point he announced that he was “done”. Ellen pleaded with him, insisting that she thought he was making a big mistake, but Jack was adamant. He said that he no longer had any interest in learning or even playing. He now wanted to put all his spare time into his club soccer team.
For the next five years, Jack rarely sat at the piano. It collected dust and got more and more out of tune. Ellen encouraged him to play every once in a while, but this wasn’t something she could force. She had to admit that he was equally as talented at soccer, and told herself that maybe the piano had just been a childhood toy. Still, she remembered his piano teacher’s words - “this isn’t something I can teach.”
At age 17, Jack went to college to study advertising and play intramural soccer. One day he called from his college dorm room.
“Can I take piano lessons next semester?”
Ellen tried to contain her delight.
“Um, yes. Of course. Why?”
”Well they offer private lessons. I can take piano as one of my electives. I think I’d like to maybe get back into it.”
From that day on Jack continued to pursue music. He learned to improvise with jazz, he joined the choir, picked up other instruments, and started a band.
“I have to play music. It’s like it’s inside of me,” he told his mother.
Ellen had known it was inside of him since the day his piano teacher called him a “brainiac” when he was only six years old. It was a gift!
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Good thinking, and I'd love to know if this story is true.