"Because there's no point of doing it unless you believe." (Adam Gyorgy)
I recently organised a lecture and a master class by an international young pianist (not to mention a Steinway artist) named Adam Gyorgy. Adam is a 26-year-old Hungarian who is on the way to his brilliant career. In addition to concerting around the world, Adam is also doing his DMA in the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and so he gave a lecture last Friday to around 30 people in the city (most of them piano teacher) about Hungarian piano music and music education, some piano technique, some things about memory and his feelings about music in general. All in all it was a little bit of everything and I had to say that this kind of thing left me craving for some more, but the (quite) surprising thing was that many teachers who came to the lecture felt somehow enlightened, as if they have received much. It's strange how little so many people knows, and I was wondering what the children are receiving today. It made me realize how badly we need more seminars and lectures for (piano) teachers!
Anyway, although the lecture wasn't quite profound (because Adam had only 2 hours to cover all the aspects he wanted to discuss so it's only natural that he jumped to one theme to another so quickly), Adam did say something that is deeply rooted in my brain until today, and probably for the rest of my life.
On the Q/A session, I asked if the teachers in Hungary also have the same problem like we do in Indonesia, i.e. students' lack of interest and enthusiasm. He told me that teachers had to be very energetic because if you give energy to something it will not remain unmoved. Which is very true. Then he continues that, after you give all your best, you have to "believe. Believe that your students will be better. Believe that your students will do things you ask them to. Because there's no point of doing it unless you believe. I will not travel around the world if I don't believe that people are going to come to my recitals, that the halls are going to be packed."
It was very simple, yet meaningful. Sometimes I questioned myself why I do the things I do. Why I'd bother wanting my kids to practise more, to be more present in class, and why I'd care about people who are not the easiest to cope with, and spending so much energy feeling frustrated by their ignorance, but still I'm doing it. I guess somehow I believe that someday they will change. And when they change, they will also make the world change. And if you're on a mission like me, it's good to have someone to remind you about it.
(Imported old blog, originally written on December 15, 2008)
