“Think mindfully. Calm down. Take a few mindful breaths. Think about calm things and don’t be all hyper.” Sasha helping Mooey calm down after an exciting lesson. Sounds like something a piano teacher from California would say, right? Except it wasn’t. It was Sasha, age 8, telling Mooey (the push puppet) Continue Reading
Evie Hidysmith
All Cars Don’t Eat Gas?
“You mean MOST cars eat gas,” Mary said, correcting me gently. I’d been up to my old piano teacher tricks. All Cars Eat Gas. Except that now they don’t. Mary’s family not only has a Prius hybrid, they also have a all-electric Leaf. Just last week I’d been writing about Continue Reading
Children’s Books Have Come a Long Way
Snip! Snap! Snip! the scissors go; And Conrad cries out “Oh! Oh! Oh!” Snip! Snap! Snip! They go so fast, That both his thumbs are off at last. Children’s books have come a long way. The picture above is from a book first published in German in 1844, and in English Continue Reading
A Piano in Paris
Early morning Parisian piano delivery. People often tell me that they can’t stand teaching adults. “My adults never practice,” they’ll say. “My adult student doesn’t listen to me,” says another. I offer this sweet photograph as a humble piece of evidence to the contrary. Look closely. This picture, taken at dawn, Continue Reading
Try A Drawl
My student’s Mom’s Facebook post made my day: Seriously love Clementine’s piano teacher, who taught most of today’s lesson with an outrageous southern accent because otherwise Miss C was not inclined to listen. — with Diane Hidy. I’m a morning person. I like to get up and get my work done. I Continue Reading
For Whom?
Sometimes the world-wide-web is a wonderful world indeed. I have a friend who feels like my long-lost soul mate; Elissa Milne is a gifted composer and has probably missed her calling as a stand-up comedian. Not sure, because I haven’t met her yet in person but on the web she cracks me Continue Reading