It's August 2021 and, here in Auckland, New Zealand, we're nearly two weeks into a full nationwide lockdown. After a year of comparative freedom from the ravages and disruption of COVID-19 experienced elsewhere, the Delta variant got loose in our community and our country has been shut down as we continue to pursue our elimination strategy. Auckland is set to be in lockdown for a full month as we are the epicentre of the outbreak.
I am running most of our piano lessons online and have been thrilled by the effectiveness of online lessons. It is such a joy to see my students continue their progress while we are in lockdown. Although there are many things I miss about in-person lessons, such as being able to play duets, I am excited to see that online lessons deliver the same potential for students to thrive in their learning. More than that, I hope my students are getting great joy out of their ability to make music while they are stuck at home.
There is no doubt that playing a musical instrument has profound effects on our brain development and on our mental and emotional health. More on the science of that in future blog posts! Suffice it to say, in my own experience, I have noticed time and time again that the act of playing the piano can drive all your cares and stresses to the background and fill you up with the resources needed to get through tough times. If you are playing an acoustic piano, the benefits to emotional and mental health are even greater - something to do with those good vibrations!
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that life is short and we can take nothing for granted. If you've ever wanted to play the piano, know that you can! The keys to joy are at your fingertips - literally.
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