For this blog post, we interviewed Amy C. in New York! Keep an eye out for more Q & A blog posts like this one: I enjoy hearing from students, and I want you to be able to read about their story with Piano in a Flash too!

Q: When did you first learn about Scott and Piano in a Flash?

A: Sometime last year. I started studying piano when I was about 8, and then played until I was 15. Once I grew up, I realized I wanted to get back into piano, but life and work got in the way. Last year, I left my job in the city, and have been doing consulting work instead. I now have time on my hands to start piano again, and that’s when I started to do my research. I started seeing information about Piano in a Flash and was extremely impressed right away. Scott has a great personality, and makes his students feel very relaxed while keeping quite the upbeat nature. Being able to play and practice whenever I want really worked well for me.

Q: Do you play any other instruments?

A: I don’t play anything else, but my husband is a professional drummer and singer. I think it would be fun to eventually get to his level, and pull a Partridge family act. Ha!

Q: Do you play for others? If so, in what settings? Church? Family parties?

A: I sent a few recordings to friends. I’m working on a special project, and I feel it couldn’t have started without Piano in a Flash.

Q: Oooh, a special project. What’s that about?

A: Well, it’s a long, but really great, story. I’m an occupational therapist. My career life started in 1981 in public relations. My undergrad degree is in political science. After having children and becoming a single mom, I decided working a very fast-paced job in PR wasn’t working with parenting. I went back to get my teaching degree, and I learned that I really enjoyed working with special needs children. I later became an occupational therapist, and worked with mostly special needs children for years.

I had this idea come to my head around the same time I started with Piano in a Flash. I started practicing and fell in love with the program. Scott’s attitude is contagious, and you feel really comfortable and safe as a student. You also get to watch him make mistakes periodically, and he really enforces the idea that you don’t have to be a perfect piano player all the time. Also, I love that he doesn’t place so much emphasis on reading the notes and practicing the scales. I’m probably not going to become a concert pianist, so it doesn’t make sense to practice those for hours and hours. I’ve been through maybe two of the course, I just felt so comfortable at the piano, I started remembering lessons from my childhood, and I started practicing classical music again at the piano. Through this, a whole part of my life that I thought was closed, opened up again.

The special project I’m working on is part of an incredible development I’ve devoted lots of my time to. One of my passions as a therapist is self-determination. I want these kids to feel that they don’t have to do what they’re told for the rest of their life, but rather, they are in charge and can make their own decisions and choices. I’ve been lecturing on this topic at conferences and through webinars for years now. I’ve always felt that there needs to be a piece where the child teaches others what they want to get out of life, and what they’re doing for themselves.

I am creating a musical guide that teaches both children, and the world around them, just that. The children sing these songs to everyone else in their life to teach them about what they need to be independent and what they want out of life. I really think without Scott’s support from the program, I don’t think it wouldn’t have turned out nearly as well. I have a professional singer and guitarist who is recording these songs for me. I was able to sing and play the piano for him to show him what I wanted out of the song. I was able to be a little bit fearless and really just… do it. There is still a video program to come.

Q: Wow! It sounds like a lot of people will benefit from this project.

A: It was truly a terrific snowball effect. It all started with me taking piano lessons and combining that with my goal of having a program for children to become independent. My vision for such a program only grew into a musical project after taking Piano in a Flash’s courses. I feel that Scott really gave me the tools and the courage to make this possible.

Q: Has playing piano helped you in other areas of life?

A: It’s difficult for me to read music, and Scott’s method would make the fear of not being perfect melt away. Reading notes on a page comes really slow for me, due to my vision issues, so I sit there picking apart chords and such to make sure I really have everything correct. Now, I don’t feel guilty for taking my time. I’ve learned it’s alright to go at my own pace.

Q: What’s your next music-related goal?

A: My original goal was to play some pop tunes and have fun with friends. Piano was going to be my “just for me” thing. After this project really developed out, piano and music came to mean so much more. Life is full of surprises, I never thought I’d do what I’m doing today.

THANK YOU, Amy, for sharing your story with us! If Amy’s story inspired you to start learning piano, check out the rest of our website for more information on how you can get started with our online lessons!