Nora’s son was told to practise the piano for twenty minutes every evening. For three nights, she saw him sit at the keyboard, moving his fingers with great concentration. She heard nothing.
On Thursday she checked the room. The keyboard was switched on, but its volume was at zero.
‘Have you been practising like this all week?’ she asked.
‘Every note,’ he said. ‘I even went over the hard part twice.’
‘Your teacher wants you to hear your mistakes.’
‘I know,’ he said. ‘But you told me to practise until it sounded better. This way it sounded better on the first night.’