It was about 20 Christmases ago that I received the special gift of a gleaming ebony console piano. It wasn’t fancy, but it had a bright sound, and it looked great in my living room. I had always wanted a piano because I had a dream of one day learning how to play. I also had a dream of one day learning how to really speak French, but one thing at a time.

I checked out books from the library and bought some sheet music and set about teaching myself the basics because, I thought, how hard could it be? Well, it was slow going, but I tried and plunked and plodded my way through very modest renditions of old songs. It never occurred to me to take lessons, so I soon realized I wasn’t making much progress. I didn’t actually admit it, but rather, I found other, more pressing tasks that gobbled up more and more piano time.

Years went by, and I ignored the piano’s gleaming presence, feeling vaguely guilty when the piano tuner made his annual visit. After all, I had a job; I had a second home in Michigan; I had become a grandma; I was busy. There came a time, however, when I no longer had a job or summer home and no longer had to babysit as often. I sat around and wondered how to spend my time. I stared at the piano, and it stared back. A friend suggested I take lessons. Why is it that we have all these plans for our future when we think we will have the time, but when the future arrives, it takes a friend to point out the obvious? I don’t know, but I no longer had excuses, so I perused the classified ads and found Miss Bonnie Smith.

Miss Bonnie directs the choirs at a church here in Elmhurst when she is not teaching piano to her several students, and she happened to have an opening. I went to my first lesson feeling silly and nervous, but confident I at least knew some of the basics. That was about all I knew, but I did manage to get through Alfred’s Adult Piano Book One in less than a year. It took much longer to work my way through the next two books because, aside from learning to read notes and keep my fingers on the proper keys, I had to co-ordinate the pedal and learn how to read rhythm, a skill that continues to elude me. Miss Bonnie would clap out the rhythm, and I would clap along with confidence until I got home and clapped alone — the wrong way.

There were times I considered giving up. It is humbling to admit that a passion to learn is not enough. Without the nimble fingers and mind of youth and or the talent, it takes a lot of years and practice. And, although I can dance to the rhythm and clap to the rhythm and play songs I know in the correct rhythm, those tricky little dotted notes not to mention the vagaries of 2/2 time nearly have me beat, no pun intended. Still I persist, and Miss Bonnie persists, and occasionally I make a small breakthrough.

Every November, Miss Bonnie has her students put aside their regular music and concentrate on Christmas songs instead. She does this in part because they give a recital at the church at the end of January and perform one or two Christmas songs along with the current piece they are learning. Being her only adult student, I decline to participate, but I have attended the recital a couple of times and admired the courage of these young people as they march up to the stage, music clutched in their hands, and serenade the assembled guests.

Every year I, too, revisit the same Christmas song books, and each year I notice a small improvement in my playing. This year I made fewer mistakes than usual. My fingers danced along the keys, and my living room was alive with chestnuts roasting while Frosty was melting and angels proclaiming.

Miss Bonnie’s students’ recital is this Sunday, Jan. 25, at Faith Evangelical United Methodist Church, 111 W. North Ave., Elmhurst. I won’t be performing. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to for that, but I plan to be in the audience clapping the rhythm and wondering when I should begin learning French.

Elmhurst Artists’ Guild hosts board members show

I heard from Charlene Lee-Frieslinger that the Artists’ Guild is having its first board members’ show in the Guild Gallery at the Elmhurst Art Museum, which will continue until Friday, Feb. 6, and features works by board members Lee-Frieslinger, Tony Armendariz, Julie Robins Greenberg, Judy Gustafson, Darlene J. Hoekstra, Adrienne Jaroscak, Robert Maggio, Dianne Martia, Linda Mierendorf, Connie Nestler and Frank Tumino. There will be a reception open to the public at the Art Museum from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday.

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