"Peggy has been a wonderful teacher for our daughter!"
Keep at it every day and your hands and fingers will remember how you helped them.
”My son was bursting with joy each day this week!”
“My son said he wished piano camp could happen every day. He was inspired to play more at home and asked me to play duets with him. ‘
“Excellent piano guidance for our daughter.”
Dear Piano,
This is my Valentine’s Day love letter to YOU! It wasn’t love at first sight when we met some 16 years ago, though you have served me well since the very beginning. Early on in our relationship when I sat down to play, I would think, “I’m here to do battle with my piano.” That changed radically four years ago, when I signed up with my new teacher, Peggy Johnson. I committed to spending at least one hour a day to nurture our relationship, which, since that moment, has become ever more intimate and devoted.
Dear Piano, I can hardly wait to sit down with you each day to make music together. We explore so many aspects of expressive playing—dynamics, articulation, rhythms, and range. You and I are a team, joined by our coach, Peggy, and the composers. Bach, Bartok, Copeland, Schumann, Satie, and many others (along with scales, of course!), come together every day to make music up and down your keyboard. You were my anchor of support, keeping me grounded through the challenges of 2020. When I sit at your keyboard, I think only of what we are trying to create—everything else falls away.
I love you, dear Piano. And to honor you, I have named you Amanda, after our new, vibrant, uplifting Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman.
Thank you, Amanda Kawai, and let’s play on!
Alison
I love my new piano!
I named her Katie Kawai!
Writing book assignment accomplished!
Thanks for a fun and informative lesson today! Every time I leave your studio I am reassured that I haven't "simply visited this world". I feel amazement, sometimes wonderment, and occasionally a bit of befuddlement, and certainly the laughter resonates for the rest of the day. A.H.
"What? It's time to go already? That (hour) felt more like 20 minutes!"
"Oooh, I could have TWO lessons in each week? Hmmm!"
“That was the BEST Piano [Party] ever!!”
"You should have heard them (piano trio students) on their very first time together, they were so natural! She is so excited about playing with the trio and for making new friends!
"Are we already done? That was fast!"
Hi Peggy,
Today we played the Good Deed Recital (April). The residents loved it! They enjoyed the children as they got older and progressed in abilities.
Thanks so much for caring, and keep us in mind if you do any more of these.
Please let the students know how much they were appreciated too.
[a local nursing home]
“Always practice more than 5 minutes”.
”If you miss a day of practice, practice two times the next day”.
Music feeds the soul. Playing an instrument and reading music is a gift. Musical talent is rare. Cherish this opportunity. Where words fail, music speaks!
Never give up learning the language of music! You will be able to speak to anyone in the world!
Be kind and eat your vegetables.
You don’t have to be the best at something to enjoy doing it.
Remember to smile and have fun while playing!
If you don’t remember what color the piano keys are, turn off your phone and open your eyes.
Work hard and you can do anything.
The journey is more important than the end point.