Saturday, July 14, 2012

Practice makes perfect...NOT!

When you were young, did you have to practice the piano, or take dance lessons?
Did you love it? or hate it?

Did you have band practice?
Did your mom make you sit in your room, and practice whatever it was you were trying to learn, while your friends were outside playing in the summer sun...or running through the sprinkler, or enjoying a refreshing glass of Koolaid?

Sally would ride around the block on her bike, and stop at my house each time around to yell up at my window....are you done yet?
Each time I'd yell down the stairs, can I be done? and my mother would yell back up those stairs...keep going!!!   ugh.

And what did all of that practicing get me????
As an aerobics instructor (about one hundred years ago) it benefited me with some graceful moves, I guess.
Now? about the only job I might be able to get is a stand in for the dancing hippo for Disney's "Fantasia".
That's if they could find a tutu big enough to fit me.
 
Oh yeah, and some nice pictures using the toe shoes for my blog once in a while.
Hey Sally, I can ride bikes now.

19 comments:

  1. my piano teacher raised African Violets and her hair was that same purple color. She used to slap my hands every time I made a mistake. One day I told my mom if she did that one more time I was quitting. Well, guess what....that was the end of my piano career. I sure wish I knew how to play, though. I have my parents piano, but the only time it gets played is when a guest plays it which I do love. I wonder if my parents can hear their piano being played up in heaven.

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  2. No- I wish I could have taken piano lessons though- unheard of for a farm kid. Maybe I could be YOUR back up for the Fantasia act.....xo Diana

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  3. ROFL - you crack me up! My mother made me IRON.... shirts, hanky's, pillow cases. Talk about torture when my friends were out playing.

    I practiced guitar, but that was my choice. I thought I was going to be like "Peter, Paul and Mary." HA!

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  4. Oh yeah...I had a mom like yours. When I was 5, it was accordion lessons - those ended when we moved too far for my parents to take me back and forth...but that was when I was 13. And, at age 11, I started taking Bassoon Lessons - LOL!! Mom quickly made the transition for me - from that to Flute, Clarinet & French Horn - and I finally had a say and selected Tenor Saxophone. Lessons until I was out of High School. Not only Band, but Marching Band, Football Band, Orchestra and oh yeah, I sang, too! So there was Glee Club!!!

    It was always practice, practice, practice!! LOL!!!

    The odd thing was that my friends were all sort of jealous of me, cuz they thought I was talented!!! Go figure!! (But, I was - and still am.)

    My mom always wanted me to practice sewing, when I took that class in 7th grade. I did so good that in sewing class, with the Teacher standing right next to me, trying to help me with the waistband on the skirt I was sewing - I sewed the Teacher's Apron to my skirt!! :) I passed with a D that semester. I don't think she wanted me re-taking her class. But, I was back next semester anyway! I had the same teacher for cooking class. But, in that class I excelled - got an A!!

    Thanks for that walk down Memory Lane.

    Jan ♥

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  5. Oh boy, I liked softball about as much as my sons liked baseball... I do wish I knew how to play the piano though. But knowing myself, I would have had to be a child prodigy, don't have much patience for that practice to learn thing:@)

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  6. What a cute post Debbie! I played the piano for 3 weeks the drums for a month- I hated to practice!

    Took piano lessons as an adult and so wish I had kept it up as a child- I might could play now!
    Thanks so much for coming by my new creative space- maybe the practice I do there making things will be much different then trying to play an instrument!

    bee blesse
    dmary

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  7. I played the clarinet from 5th grade thru high school...then in the community band after that. I loved to play, but hated practicing. Well...except when I would play really high or really low notes just to make our dog howl!! LOL...
    Have a great Sunday.
    hugs,
    Cindy

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  8. No, but I wish my parents did make me take lessons on something, piano would have been nice! I would have been the kid out riding the bike while the others practiced...maybe that's why I have no discipline now :)

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  9. Debbie, Being graceful is a hugh plus in life. I wish I had taken some lessons at anything.. But I did teach myself to sew and paint. You will have good posture from your dance lessons.Smiles, Susie

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  10. Hi Debbie, this is a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. I always wanted to take dance lessons. My older sister got to take them and because she didn't use them in some way . . . I guess by the time I was old enough, my parents thought it was a waste of money. Then when I was in 6th grade I wanted to learn the flute . . . That never happen either. . . so I guess we all look back and feel a little bit cheated out of some of our dreams. I did sign up for an adult beginner ballet class when I was in my thirties . . . What I got out of the class was a better figure . . . nothing inspires you to diet and exercise more, than actually seeing yourself in a mirror with twenty other women all wearing leotards, LOL. Best diet ever!!! LOL. Thanks for sharing and thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful week. Oh yes, your photographs on the post are amazing. Connie :)

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  11. Lovely pictures and yes I play when I was young. I play accordion and I love it *smile*.

    Hugs
    Elna

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  12. Been there...and done that. I took piano lessons for about eight years---all the while wishing I could take ballet lessons instead. It did teach me the love of music and how to read it, though, thank goodness.

    I always wanted to be a ballerina. I stupidly signed up for adult ballet lessons when I was 21. I loved every minute I was there, but felt so out of place in those leotards even though I was the youngest one in the class. :)

    I did teach myself how to play the flute (if you could call it that) when I was in my early 30s, however, which was something else I always wanted to do.

    And I have YOU to thank for teaching me everything I know about teaching an aerobics class, sis! Best workout ever. STILL miss that!

    xoxo laurie

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  13. What a nice blog I am going to follow you, Riet

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  14. I always wanted to do ballet Debbie. Would you believe me if I told you I played the alto sax in the school band...oh yes I did...and very poorly too. I was always out riding my bike with friends instead of practicing : )
    hugs from here...

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  15. These are beautiful photos! I had to practice piano--1 hour per day. I wanted to take ballet, but Mom--for some reason--thought it would mess up my feet. lol So, it was piano for me. . .great post!

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  16. Your photos are so pretty! I, too was made to take piano lessons and wished I could have taken art lessons instead.

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  17. Hi Debbie, I love that you still have your toe shoes, they're beautiful! My story about dance is somewhat different than most...My Mom 'was' a dance teacher. I wanted to be a ballerina, but knew everyone would expect me to be the 'prima ballerina', because my Mom was the teacher. I knew that wasn't going to be the case, so sadly I never took ballet from her. My neighbor friend, and I did learn a jazzy dance one year, and Mom had us in her recital, (even that scared me too death)...my girlfriend stayed with my Mom taking dance for years, and became her assistant later on. Of course now, looking back on it, I wish I'd been truthful with Mom, I use to tell her I wasn't interested in ballet. Looking back, I doubt she would have pushed me into anything, because, as a little girl, she was made to ride a bus into Seattle (almost 30 miles away) to take her lessons, partly I'm sure, because she was such a wonderful dancer, and her parents wanted her to expand her knowledge from a bigger dance school.

    Also, like Diana, I wish I'd taken piano lessons when my younger brother did...darn, back then, my horse was the most important thing in my life!

    I enjoyed your post and your gorgeous pictures, thanks so much for visiting my blog and your kind words, it meant a lot to me. Debbie @ Cottage Hann~Me~Downs

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  18. Looking at these photos, it was all worth it to me!

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  19. Hi Debbie...Yeah, I took piano lessons. Didn't like them all that much. Also took clarinet. Didn't care for that either. Now I play guitar and banjo and love both.

    Your photos? Lovely.

    Thanks for your visit and comment on my blog today, Debbie! Susan

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