A year or so ago I was a piano teacher. Since Wednesday was half-day at school, the midweek afternoons were occupied with a procession of small people parading through my living room thumping out Aloette on my piano. What fun afternoons! My house was filled with the music of scales and arpeggios and doorbells. Brace yourself for a sad ending.
A succession of terrible economic misfortunes assailed the town when the Grim Economy Reaper stormed in. Well, maybe he was more like a Pied Piper than a devil with a scythe. However you want to describe him the result is the same. He wreaked some major havoc; slashing home prices to peanuts, absconding with equity, making jobs disappear. Ultimately, he took the children. Robert Browning said it best:
And to his lips again
Laid his long pipe of smooth straight cane;
And ere he blew three notes
(such sweet Soft notes as yet musician's cunning
Never gave the enraptured air)
There was a rustling, that seemed like a bustling
Of merry crowds justling at pitching and hustling,
Small feet were pattering, wooden shoes clattering,
Little hands clapping and little tongues chattering,
And, like fowls in a farmyard when barley is scattering,
Out came the children running.
Alas! I never saw the piano students again. If you happen to see any forlorn children by the side of the road with little Piano Adventures books underarm, send them back to me. I miss them.
5 comments:
Jenna,
Hey I totally would have Kylie in piano, I know she wants to play and Robbie wants her to play too. But we don't have a piano so she wouldn't be able to practice.
So why don't you ever answer my calls? You always say it's because you're teaching piano....interesting.
I have four students. I would like more.
But if that's all I would have said it would have been a boring post. So I exaggerated a little. Author's privilege.
if you just lived a smidge closer..you'd have my eight year old to mold into a lovely young piano player..but alas..no.
I really and truly will be first in line when you write a book someday..I look forward to your blogs :)
I liked your homage to Dora, who is a hero of my daughter's.
What music books did you use? A friend just asked if I could give her lessons, and I would love to. I am just wondering your method.
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