Simply Music

Wade Myers, San Jose, California
By Bernadette Ashby

“That was really good. Is there any way that I could buy the score for Constellation of Snow?” the mom asked after the student concert. She was a classically/traditionally trained musician. “Well, uh, no,” my girlfriend, another Simply Music Teacher, replied hesitantly. “That is his original composition.”

My journey with Wade began seven years ago when I became his Simply Music Teacher. It is amazing to me to think that Wade has come this far especially since I remembered him as a squirrelly strong-willed six year old boy who could barely follow instructions and sit at my piano bench. At that time, his music teacher at school told his mother that he was not ready for music instruction. But what his mother understood about Wade is that he would resist the standard course of music instruction. Looking for alternatives, they were so thankful to have found Simply Music.

Since then, I’ve seen so much growth in him. Today, he is still strong-willed but now uses his creativity and energy to pour into his music. Wade composes on a regular basis. He has taken the freedom and permission given to him to explore and discover music in his own terms – contributing his creative talent and compositions to the world. Even at the young age of thirteen! His next piece will be for his eighth grade graduation in June.

Wade, no doubt, has become a generative musician fulfilling one of the goals of Simply Music. He has taken the tools and strategies that he has gained through Simply Music and uses them constantly to be able to play a variety of songs in all musical genres, to read music, to write music, to compose/improvise music. He has the ability, for example, to take a piece of music that he loves and analyze it so he can break the concepts down to a manageable state in order to learn the music. Eventually, he puts the sheet music away and can play it anytime, anywhere, and anyplace. The song is his for keeps, it’s his for life. He entertains himself and he entertains others.

One of the most important things Wade loves about Simply Music is that it has given him freedom in expressing himself, not only musically but in many other ways. Musically, he’s developed his own style in the tradition of George Winston. As a result, this has given him great confidence and acceptance of self as he prepares to take on other challenges as a young adult. He understands what it means to experience success because he’s lived it by being a Simply Music student – walking away with a sense of victory at every lesson. Of course, over the years, there were the typical ups and downs of piano lessons but with unswerving commitment and the support of his loving parents at his side (and always at his piano lessons) I can assuredly say that music will be a companion to Wade for the rest of his life. What a gift!

Wade has developed into a fine musician. It has truly been a privilege to be his coach and teacher in his musical journey. I don’t know what the future will hold for Wade but I do know that music will always be a part of it. In the meantime, there is talk in his family that Wade should set up a website so he can begin to sell his music. If that is the case, I’ll be the first to purchase.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 at 11:10 am and is filed under Student of the Month.