 | I got this story at the back cover of Aira Ledesma pocketbook. I was
touched when my friend told me about this story. And now I want to
share this story also. This story is very inspiring and you will
really appreciate it.
Rooby's night
At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is
Mildred Hondorf. I am the former Elementary school music teacher
from Des Moines, Iowa. I've always supplemented my income by
teaching piano lessons-something I've done for over 30 years. Over the years I've found that children have many levels of musical ability. I've never had a pleasure of having a prodigy though I have taught talented students. However I've also had my share of what I
call "Musical Challenged" pupils. One such student was Robby. He was
11 years old when his mother(a single mom) dropped him off for his
piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys!) begin at
earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But Robby said that it had
been his mother dream to hear him play the piano. So I took him as my
student. Well, Robby began his piano lesson and from the beginning I
thought it was hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked
the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully
reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require my all
students to learn. Over the months he tried and tried while I
listened and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of the
each weekly lesson he'd always say "My mom's going to hear me play
piano 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 a smiled but never stopped in. Then one day Robby
stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but
assumed because of his lack ability, that he decided to pursue
something else. I also glad that he stopped coming He was a bad
advertisement for my teaching! Several weeks later I mailed to my
student's home a flyer on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby
(who receive the flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I
told him that the recital is only for my current pupils and because
he had dropped out he really did not qualify. He said the his mother
had been sick and unable to take him in the piano lessons but he was
still practicing. "Miss Hondorf I've just have to play!" He
insisted. I don't know what led me to allow him to paly in the
recital. Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something
inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night for the
recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed of parents,
friends, and relatives. I put Robby up last in the program before I
was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing
piece. I thouht any damage he would do would come at the end of the
progarm and I could always salvage his poor performance through
my "curtain closer". Well, the recital went off by hitch. The
students had been practicing and it showed. Then Robby come on
stage. His clothes were wrinked and his hair looked like he'd run an
eggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like to other
students?. I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make him comb
his hair for this special night?" Rooby pulled out the piano-bench
and he began. I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen
Mozart's COncerto #21 in C Major. I was not prepared for waht I
heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, they even danced
nimbly on the ivories. He went to pianissimo to fortissimo. From
allergo to virtouso.His suspended chords that Mozart demands were
magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played by people his age.
After a six and half minutes he ended in grand crescendo and
everyone was on thier feet with a wild applause. Overcome and in
tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in joy. "I
never heard you play like that Robby!How'd you do it?" Through the
microphone Robby explained: "Well Miss Hondorf... remember I told
you my mom was sick?. Well actually she had a cancer and passed away
this morning. And well... she was born deaf so tonight is the first
time that she ever heard me play.I wanted to make it special." There
wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from the
Social Services led RObby from the stage to be placed into foster
care, noticed that even their eyes were red and I thought to myself
how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my
pupil. No... I've never been a prodigy but that night I became a
prodigy of Robby's. He was a teacher and I was a pupil for it is he
taught me the meaning of perseverance and love. Believing in
yourself and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you don't
know why. He was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P.
Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995.
Written by shella
Submitted by shella |  |
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