Day 9 - Today I am thankful for...

Day 9 - Today I am thankful for... my piano students

Wednesdays are the end of my "work" week - that is the end of my wage-earning-work week. By this point in my week I have had 14 young people, ranging in age from 1st grade through a senior in high school, come to my home and sit at my piano to learn how to play.

We go over what they have practiced and I rejoice over the victories they have made in learning this skill. Sometimes I need to give a pep talk and remind them of the importance of practicing. By practice, I mean working on what has been assigned, fixing mistakes, and doing this for a decent length of time. Some students need this pep talk quite often...

Then there are others who have practiced diligently through the week and when they come to lesson they are ready to play a piece of music beautifully. They have confidence in what they have prepared and it shows.

When I was taking piano lessons, one of my favorite teachers - Mrs. Dunne, would work with me until I had a piece completed. When it was ready, she would tell me that the following week she would sit in her side chair and just listen. What an incredible moment that was for me - and I made it a goal to have her sit and "just listen" often.

I have carried that tradition on in my teaching and absolutely love it when a student has a piece ready for a "just-listen-to" session. Not too long ago one of my older and more advanced students, Megan, had a whole suite ready. As I sat in my chair with my eyes closed and listened to the notes and rhythms and dynamics, I momentarily forgot I was having a lesson and just enjoyed the incredible beauty of the music.

Yes, I am thankful for my piano students!