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🎹 [PTNA Grade D, 1st Year Junior High - Start Chapter 3] Feeling down even when praised. The day I saw the world of learning an art.

2026年4月30日 19:47

Before I knew it, it was Golden Week.

Having somehow finished reading and memorizing the four pieces, the day of the recital arrived, right on the edge of 'Can I play this in front of people...?'

🎹 A punishment game or training?

The recital was divided into three parts.

Part 1: Preschoolers to lower elementary school students (Grades A2, A1)
Part 2: Middle and upper elementary school students (Grades B, C)
Part 3: Junior high school students and above (Grade D and up)

My daughter was in Part 3.

In other words, the same group as the older girls who are music high school and college students.

Sharing a rehearsal with older girls who are majoring in music.

Is this practice, or is it some kind of punishment game?

As we headed to the rehearsal room with pounding hearts,

we saw the older girls, radiating a dazzling, sparkling aura, along with their mothers.

Feeling completely out of place, my daughter and I shrank into a corner of the practice room to wait for our turn.

The moment we opened the door, the atmosphere was different. Overwhelmed by the sparkling older girls and their mothers, we quietly retreated to the corner.

🎹 First up, my daughter appears

The elementary school rehearsal ended, and Elsa-sensei arrived.

The recital finally began.

My daughter, a first-year junior high student in Grade D, was the very first performer.

With a nervous expression, she bowed, and her performance began.

Four pieces, from the qualifying round to the final round.

Far from perfect, she just played through them roughly.

But she played to the end without stopping.

I felt a quiet sense of relief.

Elsa-sensei said with a smile,

'You did a great job with those four pieces.'
Oh. The teacher is praising her.

We both felt a quiet sense of relief.

The first performer. She didn't stop and played to the end. That alone was enough.

🎸 What it means to learn an art

After my daughter's performance, the performances of the older girls in Grades E, F, Jr. G, and G began.

Each and every performance was truly magnificent.

I felt like I had heard performances that truly deserved the word 'perfect'.

However.

Every time a performance ended, Elsa-sensei's feedback would fly.

It was a series of harsh words, at a level beyond the 'shabby' or 'lame' she had said to my daughter.

Even though the performances were so perfect.

But the older girls were different.

They were taking in the teacher's words with serious eyes, not wanting to miss a single syllable.

The teacher does not compromise in trying to pass on all the skills she possesses to her students. The students listen seriously, not wanting to miss a single word.

This is what it means to learn an art.

In these days when adults rarely scold children, there must be many places that sell themselves on 'how much fun' lessons can be.

But what was unfolding before my eyes today was a world completely different from that.

I was quietly overwhelmed.

A teacher who gives everything, and students who try to receive everything. That was the norm in this space.

😊 After the rehearsal, talk of naan and Frappuccinos

And the moment the rehearsal ended.

The older girls, who had been listening to the teacher's words with serious eyes just moments before, approached her with smiles.

'The naan at that curry shop over there is really delicious!'

'If we don't go soon, the limited-edition Starbucks Frappuccino will be sold out!'

Where did the tension from just a moment ago go?

But that scene was very heartwarming.

Within the strictness, there is deep trust and affection. It was naturally conveyed that everyone loves their teacher.

Beyond the strictness, there were smiles and a warm relationship.

🎹 Feeling down when praised, feeling down when scolded

On the way home, my daughter said with a dejected look,

"I was praised even though I'm clearly the worst one here. I memorized four pieces, and I feel like they just think it's the taking part that counts, which is a complicated feeling..."

"You feel down when you're scolded, and you feel down when you're praised, don't you?"

I couldn't help but retort.

"Everyone else is a music major, so the teacher's eyes are going to be strict."

"So, does that mean I'll be a pro once I start getting scolded at rehearsals? Alright, I'll do my best."

My daughter made a mysterious resolution.

She didn't know yet that days would come when she'd want to retract that overly confident statement.

Feeling down no matter what happens. That's my daughter. Because she knows her own ability, there are days when she can't simply be happy.

🌿 A new resolution in the season of fresh green leaves

It has become a beautiful season of fresh green leaves.

Once this refreshing period passes and the rainy season ends, the first preliminary round will take place.

What she saw today definitely left an impression on my daughter's heart.

The sight of the older girls continuing to learn even after giving a perfect performance.

The teacher's uncompromising gaze.

And the smiles over naan and Frappuccinos after the rehearsal.

It was a day she newly resolved to fight with all her might until the preliminary round.

For the past five years, Golden Week has been all about piano. This year, we are taking a break from the competition to spend some time as a family. I am rooting for everyone taking on the PTNA competition from the bottom of my heart. To everyone who always reads my posts, thank you so much. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

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