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Thanks for some great laughs

i have to say.. the confused face after the Korea joke made me laugh the hardest... that and the 'rash' comment.

Apparently this was a child's answer in a written test:

Question: What is a harp?

Answer: A nude piano.

brilliant! gets me every time.

In a Kindermusik class we were listening to different bird calls. I had a card with several pictures of birds on them and when we heard the bird call, we'd name the bird and point to it on the card. There was a bluebird, cardinal, owl, and then a chickadee. "OK," I said, "What's the name of this bird (pointing to the chickadee)?" One little boy spoke up nice and loud, "Oh! That's the little fat guy!"

John may be getting at the common name for Juilliard, 'Jailyard'.

Because there are many Koreans at Juilliard?

FWIW - I sent John's joke to my S (a student at Juilliard) and he got it. Said, "How true." Yes, there are many Koreans at Juilliard (including two of my S's roomamtes), but it is more than that. Juilliard is famous - quite well known in Korea. Revered. Everyone there seems to know of it and respects it. My S has toured in Korea to sold out crowds and TV coverage, on the basis of his school name alone.

When he got into Juilliard, we lived in Germany, and most of our friends (albeit non-musical) had no idea what that meant until we explained that it was "something like the Mozarteum." Here is the south, it is probably something less than 50% who recognize the school name. Although that has increased now: "Oh! That school in 'August Rush'?"

This joke might be a "you had to be there" kind.

These 2, from the same 7 y/o boy actually, come to mind.

When he finished one of his books, he excitedly said "Oh! I beat the book!"

The other was when I was quizzing him and he couldn't quite remember what a tie was so I was giving him hints. I said "something you do to your shoelaces" and his eyes got huge and he yelled out "knot!"

I about fell on the floor when he said that

A student brought me a christmas ornment, and I said, `thank you, just also thank your mother for taking time to go out and buying ^this for me!`

`Oh, said the student, she didn`t buy that for you, she has a junk drawer, and when she has to get something for someone, she goes into this draw and . . . that`s where this came from!

EDIT: changed "his" to "this"

Reminds me of this little boy I teach who is 5. We were reviewing dotted half notes. I covered up the dot with my finger and asked him what that note was, "half note!" I pointed to the dot and asked what that was "a Period!" I said, "Close, but not quite" and then I said "polka" to hopefully prompt him to day dot, but all I got was "Polka-dotted half note!" LOL!

My 5 year old student came to class all excited that they just got a "puppy"!

I asked him what kind of puppy, and he said it was a mixed puppy! To reassured him that mixed puppies can be really cute, I asked what was the mix! He said it was half "german" and half "shepherd"! Turns out it really was a pure bred, but he had no idea!

Could quite get through his whole lesson because I just couldn't stop laughing at this! Just one of those days when it just hits you funny!

Should add that this is in no way a diss to Germans!

He probably would have thought the same way about Scotish Terriors or English Sheep dogs! This just happened to be a German Shephard!

Sincerely, Diane

One of my colleagues relayed this story:

A little girl - "I have my own bedroom"

T - How fortunate for you.

G - Both my brothers have their own room, too!

T - That's wonderful. You really are a fortunate family.

G - But I feel sad. Mommy and Daddy have to share a room.

I have an 11yo student who is an intelligent and efficient practicer. When she first started piano her mother would stay on afterwards for a cuppa (last lesson of the day and she is a friend). Student would go over everything from the lesson until it was perfect and remembered, asking a few questions to which I sang the answers. These days she is such a good student, quick to understand, quick to learn new pieces, great ear and memory. So I assume she still has this marvelous efficient practice habit.

Recently I was visiting her mother and I could hear some focused LH practice of 2 difficult bars in the Shostakovich. Hurray I thought, this kid really gets it! Went to piano room to say hi.

She was playing the bass with her LH... and brushing her teeth with the other!! Is this taking efficiency too far

Oh, my. That sounds like something I might have said at that age.

Well, I asked one of my students when she finds time to practice. And she said, "well, everyday my mom has a shower, and when she closes the door to have her shower, I can play and when she comes out, then I can stop!

I wasn't sure what to think of that!

Wow! that raises many questions none of which I would be game to ask!
I'm still loving this thread. Thank you all posters.

Last fall, I had two delightful young ladies, but they were learning on small keyboards, so I implored Mom & Dad to get a real piano. They did and the lessons went great all Fall, but suddenly, around November, they started coming to their lessons woefully unprepared.

I asked the girls what happened.

They told me that it was just too cold in the garage to practice more than 10 minutes at a time.

D'oh!!!

Among the thank-you-and-goodbye cards I received when I left a school teaching job many years ago was one from a girl who wrote:
"Thank you for teaching me everything I wanted to know".

I still wonder about that one...

this thread is great!
more more more!

i love it when students share what they imagine during their pieces:

a 10yr boy upon finished playing me his piece and turned around to say, wide-eyed, "I can't believe the guy died at the end!"