My First Piano Examination

Flashing back to the time when I sat for my very first piano examination 2 years ago, I can’t help chuckling. I am chuckling at my own foolishness.

My piano teacher had advised me not to take the first grade piano examination just yet, but I still wanted to go with it no matter what. Degil punya pasal, I signed up for the examination. Feeling confident that I would be able to answer all the questions correctly, I drove to a primary school situated somewhere in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. It was school-break so the school was empty. As soon as I reached the school, I parked the car and slowly walked to the waiting area.

While walking, I observed a couple of small kids at the parking lot. At the canteen, there were kids playing ‘catch-me-if-you-can’ and one of them tripped his leg and fell to the ground. Some were just running about crying hysterically. More kids at the playground, on the swings and at the staircase playing with dolls. Where were all the adults? Was I the only adult there taking piano examination? Wait, wait, let me rephrase that… Was I the only adult there taking FIRST GRADE piano examination? After asking around, I gathered, these kids aged 8-12 years and most of them were in the 2nd to 4th grade of their piano lessons. Their parents sent them and left them there this morning and they would come back to collect their kids later after the examination was over. There was no other adult students besides the teachers and myself. Owh, in case you’re wondering, I was 30 years old at that time.

We were ushered upstairs to the classrooms where we would all sit for the papers. But before entering the class, we would all have to line up. Imagine lining up with these kids whose heights barely reached my belly. My face turned red all over. I felt so out of place but at the same time feeling quite entertained with the kids’ innocent behaviours especially the girls, who had ribbons all over them, on their heads, on their skirts, on their pink shoes and even on their pencil cases. I looked like a devil surrounded by fairies and elves.

In the classrooms, the teachers were busy distributing the examination papers on the tiny desks and soon, I would be sitting in one of those classrooms and on one of those tiny chairs which I was sure, very sure, would not be ‘friendly’ to my big butt! A few moments later, the examination started. I took only 15 minutes to answer all questions. Hastily, I submitted the papers to the teacher and dashed out of the classroom, down the stairs and straight to the parking lot.

I never sat any piano examination since then. I finally progressed to the 5th grade and my teacher said it’s about time for me to sit for an examination in order to qualify myself for the 6th grade onwards. I guess I’d better start looking for gold ribbons, a pair of pink shoes, Barbie-doll like dress and Hello Kitty pencil case now.