Bye, bye piano. End of an era.
Bye bye, piano. End of an era.
I was 5 years old when mom and dad bought it in 1980: an investment towards my musical education as we realized piano playing wasn’t going to just be a phase I was going through.
Thank you to my first piano teacher Charisse Gonzalez for helping us choose a piano and getting me started, and many more thanks to my last piano teacher Dean Mauricia Borromeo for reigniting the desire to make music when I was in 6th grade, after a couple of years of “should I give this up, it’s not fun anymore”. She had an opening for 8:00 on Saturday mornings on her teaching schedule and took me in. The weekly lessons at the University of the Philippines College of Music stopped after I graduated from high school but I still went to see her for lessons at her house every other week for 2 more years.
Then medical school got in the way. While regular piano lessons were gone, I kept myself musically busy in other ways – choir and two bands (keyboard/harmonica/bass guitar). I also discovered Performing Arts Medicine sometime during third year: I distinctly remember typing in “performing arts” and “medicine” in a search bar; Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) came up and the rest is history!
We got the piano tuned this past Tuesday in preparation for moving to its new home at San Sebastian College Recoletos in Canlubang, Laguna – a school run by the Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR). This Roman Catholic order has a seminary near our house and also administers our parish church. I know Fr. Manny Bolilia will put it to good use!
What’s next? Digital piano with the full 88 keys and graded hammer action (weighted keys), like the one I left in the USA when I moved to the Philippines (hi Michelle Jo Simmons, I hope it’s still in good condition). No hurry to get one yet. Brand and model recommendations welcome!
