Robby was 11years old when his mother(a single mom) dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer students(especially boys) begins at earlier age, which i explained to Robby. But Robby said that it has always been his mother dream to hear him play a piano. So i took him as my student. Well Robby began his piano lessons and from the beginning i thought it was an hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tones and the basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that i required all my students to learn.
Over the month, he tried and tried while i listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly section, he'd always say 'my mom is going hear me play someday.' but it seemed hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability, i only knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never stopped in.
Them one day, Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but assumed, because of his lack of ability that he had decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching! Several weeks later, i mailed to the students' home a flyer for the up coming recital. To my surprise Robby(who received a flyer ) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital is for current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said his mom had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. 'Miss Hordof... I've just got to play!' he insisted. I don't know what allow me to led him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe something inside me saying it would be alright.
The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was filled with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up at last in the program before i was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and i could always savage his poor performance with a 'curtain closer.'
Well the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. 'why didn't he dressed up like the other students?' i thought. 'why didn't his mother make him comb his hair for this special night?'
Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 in CMajor. I was not prepared for what i heard next. His fingers were light on pianissimo to fortissimo... From allegro to virtuoso. He suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! Never had i heard Mozart played so well by a person his age. After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo and everybody was on their feet in wild applause. Overcome and in tears, i ran on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. 'I've never heard you play like that Robby, how'd you do it?' through the microphone Robby explained 'well miss Hordof....remember i told you my mom was sick?' well, she had cancer and passed away this morning. 'Well....she was born deaf so tonight was the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special.'
There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As people from the social servie led Robby from the place into foster care, i noticed their eyes were red and puffy and i thought to myself how much richer my life has been for taking Robby as my pupil. No, i've never had a protigi but that night i became a protigi...of Robby's. He was the teacher and i was the pupil. For it he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and believing in yourself and even taking a chance in somebody and you don't know why.
Source: (https://www.truthorfiction.com/robby/)
