Piano Party

Chicago was a fascinating experience for me. It was several times larger any other city I had lived in and presented all new kinds of experiences I didn't really think I'd ever have. It was a good year, although certainly difficult with having Michael gone so much. One thing it did give me, that I was not expecting, was an opportunity to teach piano for the very first time. I didn't advertise or anything, but individuals from our church would just approach me randomly and ask if I would teach their children. I was hesitant since I had never taught before and knew I would be leaving soon- but they were eager and my rates were low so I didn't feel too bad if I wasn't that great of a teacher. I was amazed at how much I LOVED teaching. It was so fun spending time with the kids and sharing my love of music with them. They were all wonderful. Before we moved I thought the kids would enjoy a little recital of sorts just as students. I wanted their first performance to be casual and fun, without stress so I asked the parents not to join us. I'm sure some of them didn't love that, but I think it was in the best interest of the kids. Each played a piece they had worked on, memorized, and perfect for a few weeks. We also played a few music games, like music note bean bag toss. Afterwards I astounded them all with a glorious piano cake. It was so simple, but they loved it. What a great day.

Here's the cake. A simple white cake, with white frosting. The black keys are actually Kit Kat bars.

A closer look- I'm no artist so its not perfect, but they didn't cared. I used floss to score the keys.

My youngest student, Gracie. Such a doll. It was fun trying to keep her attention- she really loved playing with the pedals and enjoyed making up her own songs.

Sierra, sweet and soft. She was a diligent student and a delightful girl. My kids loved her.

Samantha- my pefectionist. This girl had a lot of energy and had my heart the moment I met her. She was disappointed that she didn't play her dynamics exactly the way she practiced, such is her drive for excellence. I can see this girl going very far in life.

Emma, Samantha's best friend. The two were peas in a pod and it was a challenged to keep one from distracting the other during lessons. Samantha has cute sense of humor and often can be found with a mischevious twinkler in her eye.

Ruth, Gracie's older sister. She is a fellow bookworm, eager to learn and grow. We often had fun, rather mature conversations together. She's a wonderful big sister and delightful student.

Nathan, a soft, quiet boy around me but I bet he's pretty lively around friends. I loved to see him interact with his mother, you could tell they had a good friendship.

Jeanie, my first student. So kind and thoughtful and loving.

The whole gang- what a fun bunch.