Starting out, I have to admit that I am very glad I decided to scale down my original goal of playing Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy for my music assessment. Instead, I had chosen to learn Part of Your World from the Disney Musical, The Little Mermaid. I remember playing Clair de Lune as a child and thinking it was such a lovely piece. However, that was when I was practicing for at least 1-2 hrs per day. There is just no possibility of me finding long enough or even consistent periods in which to practice, given my busy schedule. I almost feel a bit embarrassed that I won’t be able to play like I once did, but that is just a reality I will have to get used to. On a positive note, I am looking forward to playing it while my son sings along. It hasn’t been very long since I started practicing, but already I am feeling challenged finding time to practice when few people are home. I have been doing 10-20 minute stretches and seriously wonder how on earth I practiced for the 1-2 hours per day I did as a kid.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy learning and playing music, but I definitely remember it being much easier back then.  I find myself feeling silly not being able to blow through the beginners books like I thought I would. Some are pretty easy, and some are not, likely because I am not as familiar with the timing and how the song is supposed to sound. It’s funny how I now understand what my old piano teacher and former examiners were talking about when they said that they couldn’t understand how I was able to play so well. I still kind of have no idea what I am doing, but can somehow figure it out. (No prodigy here, that’s for sure!) I think, as far as my musical growth plan indicates, I am fairly on track.  Moving forward, I think I will have to try to make better use of the limited time I have in which to practice, and I will likely have to seek some help from my music professor with regards to understanding the timing of the music. I know we have been given good information in class to help me understand this, but for me, I sometimes have to hear/feel how the music is intended to be played.