The Recievings from the Experience and the Challenges

Yuri Hoshino

My lessons were interrupted a second time, because we had to move again; this time we moved to America. I was very upset, and told my parents every day that I didn't want to go. When we came to America, I was amazed, shocked and excited by everything, and I didn't have time to think about taking piano lessons. Although I still played the piano, I was more interested anu curious about all the things I had never seen before; so music was not so important for me in the first year of my life in America.

The next year, I started violin lessons, and my mother found a good piano teacher for me named Karta Iglesias. Mr. Iglesias was a very interesting, free-styled composer, and when I had my first lesson, I hated it. I had never had such a serious and meaningful lesson before, and I was tired. I thought I would not survive the next lesson! He wasn't scary or short-tempered; he was always smiling. He never acted upset, and was pleased when I played well. I didn't hate him because he was mean, but because the contrast with my last teacher was a shock. I worked hard for the entire hour. No breaks for snacks, and no stickers. He told me to put feeling, love, and much effort into my playing.

"Always move along with the notes, dance on the tempo, and sing out the melody." It was exhausting and I didn't think I was making progress.

His style was to try many different pieces and many styles of music--not only
classical. I learned jazz, Disney songs, ragtime, modern music, and Mr. Iglesias' own compositions. I loved all the pieces that he picked out for me. I remember especially my first Bach Preludes, "The Entertainer," by Scott Joplin, and "Fur Elise" by Beethoven. My favorite piece was "Sympathy" for piano and clarinet, which Mr. Iglesias had composed himself when he was young. I remember my father practiced the clarinet part and played with me. It is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard in my life, and it is still my favorite. He gave me more of his compositions, though unfortunately we didn't have time to work on them.

One day--I don't remember when--I realized how much I had improved, and how well I was playing compared to the beginning. Although Mr. Iglesias was very demanding, he was also respectful, and treated me as an artist in own right. Then we had to move again! The news that I had to change teachers shocked me heavily. At last I realized how much I loved and enjoyed working with Mr. Iglesias. My parents were very proud and were  thankful to him, and they were feeling very guilty that I had to find a new teacher again when we moved. He taught me to love the music by working hard--to play with heart. He changed my style of playing, and gave me a new impression not just of piano, but of all music.