If your students ever complain about not having time to practice, you might want to share this little story with them…
In the small town of Tiel in the Netherlands, heads were shaking one September morning at the local haunts after a notorious burgler had been caught red-handed.
No one could quite believe the circumstances of his arrest.
What had got into him?
What could have posessed this man to stop mid-robbery, sit down on the bench, and blissfully play through several pieces on the homeowner’s grand piano? The couple, sleeping upstairs, were more than a little disturbed to hear Mozart at midnight. They had to repeat their complaint several times to the disbelieving dispatcher. Police were flabbergasted to find the thief sitting peacefully at the piano, hands in the air, the final cadence of a Chopin Nocturne floating through the looted living room.
This brought a whole new meaning to the idea of practising. Dutch piano teachers rejoiced – here was the perfect guilt-inducing story to further reinforce their belief that everyone had time to practice.
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