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by Angie Mack Reilly
The video below says it all. Shannon and I go way back from when she was in grade school at a small private school in Saukville, WI.
Shannon wanted to learn how to play the piano. “Young Shannon” seemed extremely eager to play……more than most of the other students I have met. Taking her lead and capturing that moment of her intrigue with the piano, I started teaching her piano theory and before we knew it, she was improvising and playing. She caught on very quickly and practiced often on her own initiative.
Shannon and I parted ways, as most teachers and students do. However, we were able to connect again when she got older (as a lot of my former students and I do).
She began sharing some of her original compositions with me. I was struck by how raw they were. She played piano with such a fierceness that I hadn’t seen in any other female other than myself. All that I can say is authentic passion. WOW!
I love empowering young people to express themselves! It’s a skill that ends up sticking with them for the rest of their lives!
One of my favorite things to teach is songwriting and composing. Why just PLAY a song when you can CREATE the song?
