Alva Review-Courier -

TULSA, Okla. (AP, posted Sept. 12, 2016) — Kimberly Tylicki was not always appreciative of the sacrifice her parents made to provide her 10 years of classical piano training.

"My dad worked two and three jobs so I could have private lessons," she said. "I did not want to sit down and practice. My mom had to put a timer on the piano and say 'Anyone can practice for 15 minutes. It will not kill you.'?"

She never imagined the impact that training would have on her and many others much later in life.

Tylicki, a job coach by trade, volunteers weekly teaching piano lessons to members of the Center for Individuals With Physical Challenges, according to the Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/2bZ3twc).

She happened upon the center nearly five years ago through work and immediately fell in love with the agency, which provides rehabilitative and recreational activities for people with mobility, dexterity or sensory disabilities.

"I was blown away. I thought this place was like Disney World," she said.

She saw a piano in one of the rooms and was nudged by agency staff to start volunteering.

Her first student was a woman who has been blind since birth; when Tylicki heard her play, it brought tears to her eyes.

"I went home, and I practiced two or three hours a day. That made me buckle down because she is a very accomplished student and just needs encouragement," Tylicki said.

Training a blind student has unique challenges, and the pace can be slow, working measure by measure, sometimes for months on the same piece.

Another student has a hearing impairment and has to feel the vibrations from the piano.

"For people who have physical or cognitive challenges, piano is an excellent way to get through those challenges," Tylicki said. "It definitely helps with working memory, timing and math. ... Even if you start playing the piano after the age of 50, it can help with aging."

Playing the piano never came easy for Tylicki. She'd practice and feel like other students were progressing quicker and with more ease.

"In a lot of ways, I can identify with students when they struggle," she said. "I was very hard on myself and critical, and that's helped me now as a volunteer teacher because I realize that is not the way to be. You need to be more positive, and any note you play is a miracle in and of itself."

Last year, the center had 820 volunteers provide 15,730 hours of work for an estimated value of $354,712.

"Our volunteers have a huge impact on what we provide for our members. We are a small staff of 15 but offer as many as 80 classes a semester," said Erin Jacobs, center spokeswoman. "Without volunteers we wouldn't be able to offer these things."