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After reading FarmGirl post in AOTW thread, I started thinking about my achievements in 2013:

- February : ABF Recital #29;
- April: I sent a 3 minute video of me playing "Indaco" for my company music contest (BESTalent);
- May: ABF Recital #30;
- June: BESTalent - I was qualified to do a live show. I'm in the finals;
- July: BEStalent - I was doing the video for the finals;
- August: ABF Recital #31;
- September: Starting to organize our European Piano Party 2014;
- September: BEStalent video was shared on YouTube;
- October: I wasn't the winner of BESTalent;
- November: ABF Recital #32;
- November: A TV channel invites me to enter in a episode about amateur musicians;
- December: Filming with the TV crew for the show.

Now, how was yours?

Mine was fantastic. I was able to start playing again after nearly two years of injury. I never thought I could be so happy just to play a major scale and work out of a level 2A book.

Kurt

CarlosCC quite the achievements you got there my friend! What a wonderful year for you!

As for my achievements, nothing too big but it is s gonna be my 1 year pianoversarry as of January 2014. Quite happy to report that I still love my piano and I think i'll be sticking with it after all =)

As for what I've been able to do for this year...

*2 ABF recitals
*2 live recitals
*teacher posted a video of me playing Prelude in Em on her website
*Burgmuller Op 100 1-9
*1.5 Chopin songs done(cause my Waltz in A minor still needs some work)
*5 songs from Anna Magdalena's notebook completed
*my aspiration song by Yiruma (River Flows in You)

Great - I finally broke 80 by shooting a 77 and then later a 79 during the warm fall season on 2 rather difficult courses - this portends well for my future golf endeavors...Oh yea, I submitted pieces to several ABF Recitals too...and just took up target shooting with my S&W 9mm...Zoombies, be aware!

KurtZ - That's wonderful! I can't imagine being two years without playing. You are a hero!

ElleC - Wow, lots of achievements for your 1st year! "River Flows in You"? Oh, I have the music printed to start working on it this weekend.

Carlos - I would give u the achievement if the year award. As mentioned in the achievement thread I went through many changes. It's nice to see many of my friend had a great year. It's certainly worth celebrating considering how rare those moments are in life. It's a shame u don't live here or I am not there. We could talk about this all night with wines and spirits.

Carlos - wonderful list making a great piano year!

KurtZ - wishing you many more happy piano years

ElleC - congratulations on your 1 year, and your recitals and pieces

TJ - and zoombies beware of your piano, too! It's likely to bring them back to life.

FarmGirl - yup, the piano life for you



My year was kind of rough, non-piano wise, so although my piano goal was to average 2 hours a day of practice, I'm not going to even get as much as I did last year. Amazingly enough, tho, I think I actually improved *more* than last year, as I kept reminding myself to focus - yea for FOYD!

Actual events:

I play 3 to 5 times a month at assisted living/memory care residences

January, played for Scottish dancing at Burns Night with the band

February, Music Marathon (my third year), a fund raiser, and played with the band at a band member's memorial service

March, played at another friend's memorial service

April, first time playing as a sub at a good-paying assisted living unit, and the band played at a food coop and a contra dance

August, Denver piano party

September, another new assisted living and another contra dance with the band

October, with the band for Scottish country dancing Halloween party

December - to come - my first out of state gig at a senior center in Colorado

and 3 ABF recitals

So it's actually, piano-wise, been a good year.

Cathy

January: played the entire first movement of the Moonlight Sonata for my teacher for the first time, after having dreamed of learning to play it for years; changed jobs; lost roughly twenty pounds (welcome change); had 57 seizures and survived.

February: my first ABF recital, number 29, for which I made my recording at a local pub due to being in the middle of a move to a not-yet-finished apartment.

March: had my Boston GP delivered to my still-unfinished new apartment; had an operation to remove a brain cyst, which failed.

April: second live recital since starting piano lessons; moved one member of the audience to tears.

May: ABF recital #30.

June: got 90% on my piano exam.

July: hosted European Piano Party 2013; had my epilepsy medication changed; experienced unexpected side effects; almost died, but didn't.

August: learned BWV 930 in a little over two weeks; recorded two Grieg Lyric Pieces for the Themed Recital.

September: went back to school for teacher training, partly inspired by my amazing piano teacher.

October: injured my back during a seizure; had to severely reduce my piano practice schedule for three weeks.

November: broke my collar bone during a seizure; had my medication changed; experienced some serious side effects; was in the hospital for three weeks, and had to stop playing the piano for four; almost died, but didn't.

December: third and final live recital of the year; did well; fought the principal of my music school for the right to sing with my fellow students in an on-stage concert, despite the wheelchair and the seizures; won the argument.

2013, in a word: victory! (or in my darker moments: f*ck you, universe).

2013 has been a strange year. I found the courage to leave a bad relationship and start afresh on my own, moving to a new area and making a new life. I adopted a cat from a rescue centre, received treatment for a long standing medical issue, confronted a lot of problems, and generally started living life instead of surviving it.

I'm an entirely different person to who I was a year ago, and I credit my piano lessons with seeing me through all of it. Me, my cat and my piano are very much looking forward to 2014.

Merry Christmas to you all xxx

Saranoya - you get the award for just - staying alive! Will somebody play a special Bee Gees song for ya . . . .I `m sure we all wish you the very best for `14 . . .

Wow! Nice thread! I think I had some sort of breakthrough this year, during the summer. I dropped Alfred 3 and started working on classical music more. I'm quite happy with what I've learned so far, even if I am keenly aware that I'm still a very slow learner. I think my goal for the next year will be to push myself more, and not be afraid of at least trying some harder stuff, while continuing with my easy pieces.

I will just copy and paste my practice list, with the end date for each piece.

Long-term
Schumann - Melodie (Op. 68 no. 1) 20/12/13
Tchaikovsky - Italian Song (Op. 39 no. 15, ABF recital) 29/11/13
Jazz Ostinato in C#m (Alfred’s AIO 3) 31/08/13
Grieg - Op. 54 no. 6 Klokkeklang (ABF recital) 23/07/13
Cole Porter - So in Love (ABF recital) 30/04/13

Short-term (< 1 month)
Bach - Musette in G major (First Lessons in Bach 11) almost done!!
Bischoff - The Industrious Student (Op. 31 no. 3) 29/11/13
Haydn - Gipsy Dance in Cm (Pianist 71) 29/10/13
Mozart - German Dance in F (K605, Pianist 71) 22/10/13
Mozart - Allegro in F (K1c, Pianist 74) 09/10/13
Telemann - Gigue à l’anglaise (Pianist 66, ABF recital) 14/10/13
Czerny - Study in D (Op. 187 no. 49, Pianist 66) 30/09/13
Attwood - Minuet from Sonatina in G (Pianist 73) 25/09/13
Corelli - Sarabande in Dm (Pianist 73) 28/08/13
Clementi - Arietta in C (Pianist 73) 18/08/13
Bach - Minuet in Gm (First Lessons in Bach 8) 18/08/13
Bach - Minuet in Gm (First Lessons in Bach 7) 23/07/13
John Kember - This and That (Pianist 66, ABF recital) 1/07/13

Sight-reading etc.
Improve your Sight-reading vol. 1 17/12/13
Hannah Smith’s Progressive Sight-Reading Exercises 2/08/13

[this might help if anyone is looking for grade 1-2 pieces, also to supplement method books]

2013 has been a wonderful year for me, I found my passion for piano again in July after a 17 year break. I'm so happy to be playing again with a composer I really gel with.

Wow, everyone! What complex years we've all had! Wishing everyone a good new year, overcoming difficulties, growing, and playing piano -

Cathy

2013 was the best year yet. In March I started learning with an Amazon package consisting of a keyboard and emedia lessons for, I think, $140 or thereabouts. In August I bought a Kawai ce220 which I love and in September a Stratocaster guitar. Today I just signed up for lessons from a real hot chick who plays in a rock and roll band and graduated with honors from the Berkeley School of Music. Did I mention I am 6 decades old? Life is great!!!

2013 is made of awesomeness

1. Took piano lessons from an awesome friend who is studying in her 3rd year Bachelor of Music degree.

2. Recorded 10 pieces! Also participated in 3 Quarterly recitals.

3. Went to various piano shops during the breaks and experienced some quality piano brands for the first time: Bechstein A190 (gorgeous, focused, powerful, bright icy tone!), Estonia (rich, mellow and singing), vintage Steinways (very very sweet tone), Stuart and Sons (Uniquely rich and complex. A rare gem), Grotrian (extremely powerful), Shigeru Kawai, Petrof Mistral P284, Schimmel, Mason and Hamlin B, Bluthner, August Forster)

4. Performed two pieces in front of a small live audience.

5. Discovered numerous new piano music through Pandora and Youtube.

6. And most importantly, passed all exams in 3rd year Dentistry! Next year in 4th year I'll probably be too busy to spend as much time on piano

I've had better. My Dad died. My parrot died. Our entire air conditioning system had to be replaced. The clutch went out on my truck and my computer caught fire. On the plus side I learned Chopin's 28/24 from scratch and recorded it. Have made good progress on the 9/3 nocturne as well.

You say in your signature that you have a very high handicap. So which is it?

In 2013 I learned piano. Haven't decided what to do in 2014 yet!

2013 gets a mixed review from me.

Some difficult changes, but I just got a brand new grand piano, so certainly no complaints in the piano department.

Haven't had a very good year, have you?