Sueli is heading back to Angola on Sunday, so today was our last Monday meeting for this semester! Since today was our last meeting, I decided to bring a fun song for us to play. We usually just do theory and play songs that correlate with the theory book, but I thought it would be a nice treat to play something different. I was so impressed with how quickly Sueli caught on. The song is not too difficult, but since it is a duet it can get tricky at parts. I think Sueli was really proud! It sounded so pretty when we both played our parts together. It is one of those songs that sound hard, but it really isn't. I always like to play it whenever I have an audience because people are always impressed by it.
She has done really well this semester. Her English and piano playing have both improved tremendously. Whenever we meet, I forget she has only been speaking English for 7 months. She speaks so clearly and understands so much. She started the semester with no knowledge on how to play the piano, and now she can sit down and read music. She knows musical terms and definitions, and she has even grasped basic rhythms. I cannot believe how much she knows!!!
We talked about going home today, and she is really excited. She is dreading her flight though. I can't imagine not getting to visit home until December. She took the first part of her English test today. She was really excited because she got a great score! She is confident that she will be moving up to high intermediate next semester. Writing is the most difficult part for her. She is nervous because she takes her writing portion on Thursday.
Sueli and I have been meeting every Monday since this project started, so I have been thinking about how weird it is going to be next semester if we do not meet. However, I found out today that Sueli does want to meet next semester. Before we started our lesson she asked if 2:00 will still work for me. I am so glad she has enjoyed our conversations and playing the piano. It has been a great learning experience for me and I am so glad I have had this opportunity to participate in this project. Through this project I have gained a new friend, and I have learned how to communicate better. Teaching somebody who is not fluent in English how to play piano has been a fun challenge. The project has forced me to sit down and play piano once a week, which is something I haven't done since starting college. I forgot how much I love playing, and I have realized how much I enjoy teaching.
It has been a great semester and I look forward to next semester!
She has done really well this semester. Her English and piano playing have both improved tremendously. Whenever we meet, I forget she has only been speaking English for 7 months. She speaks so clearly and understands so much. She started the semester with no knowledge on how to play the piano, and now she can sit down and read music. She knows musical terms and definitions, and she has even grasped basic rhythms. I cannot believe how much she knows!!!
We talked about going home today, and she is really excited. She is dreading her flight though. I can't imagine not getting to visit home until December. She took the first part of her English test today. She was really excited because she got a great score! She is confident that she will be moving up to high intermediate next semester. Writing is the most difficult part for her. She is nervous because she takes her writing portion on Thursday.
Sueli and I have been meeting every Monday since this project started, so I have been thinking about how weird it is going to be next semester if we do not meet. However, I found out today that Sueli does want to meet next semester. Before we started our lesson she asked if 2:00 will still work for me. I am so glad she has enjoyed our conversations and playing the piano. It has been a great learning experience for me and I am so glad I have had this opportunity to participate in this project. Through this project I have gained a new friend, and I have learned how to communicate better. Teaching somebody who is not fluent in English how to play piano has been a fun challenge. The project has forced me to sit down and play piano once a week, which is something I haven't done since starting college. I forgot how much I love playing, and I have realized how much I enjoy teaching.
It has been a great semester and I look forward to next semester!
I think that it is great that you shared you played piano with your conversation partner. That kind of activity is much more engaging than meeting at Starbucks. I like that you were able to not only talk about your interests, but actually do them and learn from each other.
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