I've been super busy, so not a lot of time left over for posting on PW, unfortunately. But I had two students last week say some things that really made me smile, and thought we could all share these moments together.

One was a voice student who has a very nice potential mezzo-soprano voice. She has just recently been talking about majoring or minoring in voice, in which I think she could have a career. Last week she started asking me questions about Mozart's The Magic Flute and saying things like, "I think I like opera better than musical theater." It's so nice when a student shows passion for something that they go out of their way to learn more about it.

Another great moment last week was when one of my long-time piano students made a point of saying to me as I was cleaning up after the group lesson on Saturday, "You know that Chopin etude you gave me to work on? It's a real pain..." and I thought, oh dear, here we go, but then he continued, "...but it's great when I can get it!" Now if only I can get him to feel that was about Debussy.

What have been some of your treasured moments in teaching?

Well - if I may flip the coin on you for a moment, and mention a treasured moment I have as a student:

My teacher had two pianos (both grands). He had one in his studio that his students played on, and he had his 'pride and joy' in his living room (his studio was a large room in the front of his private residence).

Now the piano I learned to play on (and still have) was/is a Wurlitzer console. Yes, I know, I know - it's a student grade piano. I can't afford something better right now, and as these kind of mass produced pianos goes, it is a good one (again, for its class).

Anyway, every so often, he would invite some of his students (who he knew would respect his prized instrument) and who he thought was really into music and doing well, to go into his living room and play his personal piano. I was one of the lucky ones to play his living room piano every so often.

What a joy that instrument was to play! I remember one special occassion when he picked up his violin and played along with me. That's when all the fruits of my labors came together. He was a very gifted viiolinist, and I was a very thrilled student.

That memory keeps me working to want to achieve more and more and more. . . . .

When students polish up their pieces for recitals/festivals

When students remember to fix what we went over the week before

When students can play with correct rhythm without rushing

When students actually use the metronome to practice at home

The list goes on...

YES!

When I gave a musically thriving 1st grader a level 4 "challenge piece" to work on, I assigned him the first 4 measures, and he came back and surprised me with 8! He was trying to hide his beaming face and treat it as no big deal, but I loved the excitement and desire to surprise me and see my positive reaction.

So many moments that make me love what I do... Here are a few:

A 6-year-old student drew a picture of me playing a piano and wrote "I love you, Rachel" on it. Awwwww.

A fifth grader saying she would really like to go to a performing arts high school to focus on the piano.

A 7 year old saying that she loves listening to her pieces just in her head as she is sitting quietly and loves the feeling of knowing that she can just go to the piano and play them the way she hears them in her head. (That was such an interesting thing to hear!)

This same student also says she loves to turn off all the lights except one that she points right at herself (like a spotlight) and play through the pieces she knows well from memory. She imagines that she is playing for an audience. (This kid is going far.)

All of today's students came in with their festival repertoire memorized and ready to go, two weeks ahead of schedule! In addition, there were shenanigans involving juggling, Japanese calligraphy, and a monster puppet named "Igor."

I do this thing where if a student makes three mistakes, I pull out three beanbags and set them on the piano. I then tell them that if they can play each passage with the mistake 3 times in a row, they can throw me a bean bag. I tell them when they're done, I'll juggle all the bean bags they've given me. You'd be amazed at how many focused repetitions you can get out of an 8 year old when juggling is on the line!

I can just imagine this. I've got to visit Iowa City soon!

Oh my gosh, there are several things:

When a 4th grader sang a song (accompanying herself)that she had written for me as a Christmas present

Any time my students perform in public

Any time they play for solo and ensemble

Just a few weeks ago, I started a new 12 yr old transfer student. After he played a piece for me, I explained to him how I am really strict about fingering and developing fingering strategies. As I went into my spiel, I have to admit that I was judging him as I spoke. I figured he was thinking the typical skeptical response that I get from students who have not had this kind of emphasis before. I figured that, as a 12 yr old, he would surely meet my suggestion with moans and groans. Well, we began to work on a section of the music, so that I could show him what I was talking about. To my amazement, he not only ACCEPTED my advice, but began to work WITH me and actually made suggestions of his own. I was floored!

Yesterday a 9 yr old boy looked at the copyright date on a piece he was playing and said, "Wow! This piece is really old! It was published in 1963!

In turn, I said, "Really? That was the year I was born!"

The look on his face was priceless!

I love it when we can laugh together.

I don't teach at the moment - but when I was teaching - one of my favourite moments was when I found my eight year old student 'teaching' her younger brother and saying "One and two and three... come on... count with me!" just as I would say to her

I had a student so excited to start piano lessons that she drew her own staff paper and notes before the lessons even started. We've had a lovely connection ever since.

Even after the most challenging student, I'm usually in a more positive and inspired mood following a lesson.

Far more joy to teaching than there is grief or problems.

I hope to rock in my rocking chair someday with my scrapbooks on my lap and remember the wonderful times with many of my students.

I see a picture and a memory comes back.

Just today my 10 AM student, now 14, came in the door and I saw the little boy he was at age 6 that year in February. He is still with me and doing well and we like each other. Then I came in the office and a frame that is heartshaped had him and another little 6 year old boy in the photo both eating some "Hot Cross Buns" that his mother had made for us since among his first songs were "Hot Cross Buns!

Precious!

Betty Patnude