Guest guest Report post Posted April 18, 2003 True Story > > At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. My name is > Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary school music teacher from Des > Moines, Iowa. > > I've always supplemented my income by teaching piano lessons--something > I've done for over 30 years. > > Over the years I found that children have many levels of musical > ability. I've never had the pleasure of having a prodigy, though I have > taught some talented students. However I've also had my share of what I > call "musically challenged" pupils. One such student was Robby. > > Robby was 11 years old when his mother (a single Mom) dropped him off > for his first piano le lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys), > begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. > > But Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him > play the piano. > > So I took him as a student. > > Well, Robby began with his piano lessons, and from the beginning I > thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much as Robby tried, he lacked > the sense of tone and basic rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully > reviewed his scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my > students to learn. Over the months he tried and tried while I listened > and cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each weekly lesson > he would always say, "My Mom's going to hear me play someday." > > But it seemed hopeless. He just did not have any inborn ability. I only > knew his mother from a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in > her aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled but never > stopped in. > > Then one day Robby st opped coming to our lessons. I thought about > calling him but assumed, because of his lack of ability, that he had > decided to pursue something else. I also was glad that he stopped > coming. He was a bad advertisement for my teaching! > > Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer on the > upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received a flyer) asked me > if he could be in the recital. I told him that the recital was for > current pupils and because he had dropped out he really did not qualify. > > He said that his Mom had been sick and unable to take him to piano > lessons but he was still practicing. > > "Miss Hondorf...I've just got to play!" he insisted. I don't know what > led me to allow him to play in the recital. Maybe it was his > persistence, or maybe it was something inside of me saying that it would > be all right. > > The night for the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed > with parents, friends and relatives. I put Ro bby up last in the program > before I was to come up and thank all the students and play a finishing > piece. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of > the program and I could always salvage his poor performance through my > "curtain closer." > > Well, the recital went off without a hitch. The students had been > practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. His clothes were > wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an eggbeater through it. > > "Why didn't he dress up like the other students? " I thought."Why > didn't his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special > night?" > > Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised when he > announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto # 1 in C. Major. I was > not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys, > they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went from pianissimo to > fortissimo . from allegro to virtuoso. His suspended chords that Mozart > demands were magnificent! Never had I heard Mozart played so well by a > person his age. After six and a half minutes, he ended in a grand > crescendo and everyone was on their feet in wild applause. > > Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms around Robby in > joy. "I've never heard you play like that Robby! How'd you do it?" > > Through the microphone Robby explained: "Well Miss Hondorf... > remember I told you my Mom was sick? Well, actually, she had cancer and > passed away this morning. And well.... she was born deaf, so tonight was > the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special." > > There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people from > Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into foster care, > I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy and I thought to > myself how much richer my life had been for taking Robby as my pupil. > > No, I've never had a prodigy -- but that night I became a prodigy.. > of Robby's. He was the teacher and I was the pupil. > > For it is he that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love, and > believing in yourself, and maybe even taking a chance in someone and you > don't know why. > > This is especially meaningful to me since, after serving in Desert > Storm, Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah > Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April of 1995, where he was > reportedly....playing the piano. > > And now, a footnote to the story. If you are thinking about forwarding > this message, you are probably thinking about which people on your > address list aren't the "appropriate"ones to receive this type of > message. The person who sent this to you believes that we can all make a > difference. We all have thousands of opportunities a day to help realize > God's plan. So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people > present us with a choice: Do we pass along a spark of the Divine? Or do > we pass up that opportunity, and leave the world a bit colder in the > process? Chichi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted April 18, 2003 Dear guest, I regret to inform you that you have fallen for another one of those insidious Internet hoaxes. It's a good idea to do a keyword search for any of these type of stories that are posted on the Internet. I have done just that and have come up with a number of web sites exposing this hoax. Here is one of the web sites: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/robby.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
