Marcus thought back. 4/4. Exactly. You imposed a different meter because that's what your ear expected. That's sloppy.
It means you're not actually reading. You're guessing based on patterns you already know. Harrington flipped to another page. Play this section.
Just these eight measures slowly. I want to hear you count out loud. For the next two hours, Harrington systematically dismantled everything Marcus thought he knew about piano. Every technique was questioned, every habit examined, and often found wanting.
Harrington's criticisms were precise, devastatingly accurate, and delivered without any softening. Your fourth finger is weak. You're compensating by using your wrist incorrectly, which will lead to injury if you keep doing it. Your pedaling is muddy.
You're holding the damper pedal down too long, letting harmonies blur together. You're rushing the tempo. You do it every time you feel uncertain. It's a tell that shows the audience you're not confident.
By 7:30, Marcus's hands ached, his head hurt, and his confidence was in tatters. Everything he'd felt after Friday's triumph had evaporated. He wasn't a prodigy. He was a kid with delusions of grandeur, pretending he belonged in a world he clearly didn't understand.
That's enough for today, Harrington said finally. Your assignment is to practice that Czerny étude until you can play it perfectly in tempo with all correct dynamics and articulations. I want it memorized by Wednesday's lesson. Additionally, start working on Bach Prelude and Fugue in C major from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book I.
You'll need a solid Bach foundation for everything else. Yes, sir, Marcus said quietly. As he gathered his things to leave, Harrington spoke again, his voice slightly different, less harsh, though still not warm. Marcus, what I said Friday night about you not belonging in this world, I meant it.
You don't belong. Not yet. He paused. But the reason you don't belong isn't your skin color or your background.
It's your training. Everything else is just noise. If you work, really work, you can close that gap. It won't be easy and it won't be fair that you have to work harder than students who had every advantage.
But it's possible. Marcus met his eyes. You think I can do it? I think if I didn't believe you could, I wouldn't be wasting my time. Harrington turned away. See you Wednesday. Don't be late. Marcus rode the subway home in a daze.