佚名/Anonymous
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 DeMoines, 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 protege 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 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'd always say,“my mom's going to hear me play some day”. 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 stopped 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 Robby 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 egg-beater 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 #21 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 people 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 protege but that night I became a protege...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.
在朋友的鼓动下，我写了这个故事。我叫米德里·杭多芙，曾是爱荷华州德默尼镇的一名小学音乐教师，一直教钢琴课来增加一点额外收入，我这样生活已经30多年了。
这些年来，我发现孩子们的音乐水平和能力参差不齐，我从没因监护某个孩子而感到快乐。尽管也有过一些优秀的学生，不过，我也遇到过一些被我称做“挑战音乐”的学生。
罗比就是其中之一。
罗比11岁时，他妈妈（单亲妈妈）送他来上第一堂课，我认为孩子（尤其男孩）在年龄较小时学琴比较合适，我向罗比说了这种情况。但他说，妈妈一直有个梦想，就是听他弹钢琴。于是，罗比就成了我的学生。
就这样他开始了钢琴课学习，最初，我觉得他是在做无用功。罗比竭尽全力，可乐感和节奏感还是没有进步。但是，他仍然一丝不苟地练习指法，认真复习我要求他们学习的基本乐理知识。几个月以来，他不断地尝试，我总是边听边鼓励他几句。每周的课结束后，他总会说，我妈妈终有一天会来听我弹琴的。但看起来他似乎没有一点希望。他根本没有音乐天赋，我只是远远地看到他母亲停车让罗比下来，或是等在她的老车旁接他回家。她总是对我微笑着挥手，但从没进过我的课堂。
一天，罗比没来上课，我本想打电话给他，但猜想可能是因缺乏天赋，而改学其他课程了。他不再来上课，我感到很高兴，他是我教学的一个失败案例。
几周后，我给每个学生寄去了一份传单，邀请他们来参加即将举办的钢琴演奏会。令我很吃惊的是，罗比（他也收到传单）问我，他是否可以参加演奏。我告诉他只有在读的学生才能参加，而他已经不来上课了，所以他不适合参加。他说妈妈病得很严重，不能送他去上钢琴课，但他一直在家练习，“杭多芙小姐……我一定要表演！”他坚持着。
我不知道自己为何答应他演出。可能是他的执著，或是我内心深处对他的某种信任。演奏会到来了，中学体育馆里坐满了家长、朋友和亲戚。我把罗比的节目放在最后，然后我会站起来发言，对所有学生表示感谢，并做最后的压轴表演。我想他即使出了什么差错，毕竟是最后一个节目，而且我可以用“谢幕”来遮掩。
演出顺利进行，没有出现什么意外。学生们已经练得相当熟练了，表演很成功。这时，罗比登上舞台，他穿着皱巴巴的衣服，头发乱蓬蓬，像是被搅蛋器搅过一样。“他为什么不跟其他学生穿得一样呢？”我有些恼怒，“这样一个特别的夜晚，他妈妈怎么连头发都没给他梳理一下呢！”
罗比拉出钢琴椅，准备开始弹奏。当他宣布要弹奏莫扎特的C大调协奏曲第21章时，我不禁大吃一惊。
我都没听到他后面说了什么，只见他的手指在钢琴上轻快地弹奏，可以说是在琴键上轻盈地舞动。从低音部到高音部，从快板到……在莫扎特“要求”下，音乐跌宕起伏，气势宏大，简直美妙极了！
像他这样的年龄，我还从没听到过谁能弹奏得比这更好。六分半钟后，他在乐曲的**中结束了演奏。每个人都站了起来，顿时掌声雷动。
他的演奏也彻底征服了我，我满含热泪，激动地跑到台上，欣喜地拥抱着他。“你的钢琴弹得太棒了，怎么我从来没有听到过？罗比！你怎么做到的？”罗比对着话筒解释道：“杭多芙小姐，我跟您说过我妈妈病了，还记得吗？其实，她患的是癌症，今天早上去世了。而且……呃……她天生耳聋，所以，今天晚上她第一次听我演奏。我要让我的演奏非同凡响。”
那晚，大家的眼睛都湿润了。社会福利院的工作人员红肿着眼睛，把罗比带到福利中心。我想，我的生活因为有罗比这样的学生，才更有意义。
不，我没有真正做过师父，而那天晚上我却成了罗比的徒弟。他是老师，而我是他的学生。因为他教我懂得了坚贞不渝和爱的涵义，教我要相信自己的同时，也要给别人一次机会，即使是在毫无缘由的情况下。
而后发生的事，使这一切对我更为重要。1995年4月，罗比在“沙漠风暴”服役期间，俄克拉荷马阿尔弗雷德默勒联邦大厦发生爆炸，他不幸遇难。据报道，当时他正在那里演奏钢琴。
词汇笔记
elementary [?eli'ment?ri] adj.基本的；初级的；元素的
Elementary education is compulsory in almost every country in the world.
在全世界几乎所有的国家中，小学教育都是义务的。
endeavor [in'dev?] n.努力；尽力
After several years endeavor, I already passed six levels of tests.
经过几年的努力，我已经通过了六级考试。
persistence [p?'sist?ns] n.持续；存留；固执；执著
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
世界上没有任何东西可以取代坚持不懈！
wrinkled ['ri?kld] adj.皱的；有皱纹的
She was a small woman, old and wrinkled.
她是个满脸皱纹的小个子老太太。
小试身手
最初，我觉得他是在做无用功。
________________________________________
罗比竭尽全力，可还是缺少乐感，也没有基本的节奏感，无法变得优秀。
________________________________________
我只是远远地看到他母亲停车让罗比下来，或是等在她的老车旁接他回家。
________________________________________
短语家族
Please drop me off at the bank.
drop off：睡着；入睡；下降
________________________________________
Because of the storm he didn't go there.
because of：由于；因为
________________________________________