I have been teaching music lessons for ten years. And in those ten years, students have come and gone, graduated and left for college, moved away. And half way through those ten years I moved from Seattle to Hawaii, leaving sixty students in Washington. And while I deeply care about each and every student and love teaching, I have never cried when a student left my studio. Not until Cricket. She has been the absolute highlight in my teaching week. The best teaching experience of my life. Cricket (in the red shirt) is blind. And while I have never taught piano to a blind student before, I was incredibly excited for this unique opportunity as a teacher. To explore uncharted territory. A technique not covered in my Elementary Music Education degree from Western. And yet somehow, Cricket and I discovered how to master the piano working together. In just a few months, she went through leaps and bounds and is now playing at a 3-4 year piano level. And in just a few months, I absolutely fell in love with her.
But rather than sit here and feel sad that she is moving to the mainland, I remind myself that I need to be happy. Because my own personal teaching philosophy shines clearly in students like Cricket. And it is all I can ask for as a teacher.
(cut and pasted from my studio policy) "My philosophy of music education stems from my experiences as a student in wonderful music programs. Incredible music mentors of my past, including my musician parents and my K-12 school music teacher, have instilled in me the need to excel by having a respected and well established program. I want to give to students now what was given to me by my teachers in the past: a positive life experience. I hope to create a safe and welcome environment for anyone who wants to learn music. I want to provide a class where students can express themselves through music. Each student is different, and I cater my teaching methods to accommodate each student's unique learning process. I believe music should be fun and interesting and I encourage students to explore their genre of choice, whether it is classical, blues, popular, or rock. I simply love music and I want to share my passion for music with others. I hope to leave a positive experience about music that my students will carry with them throughout their life".
I watch Cricket absorb music with voracious speed and excitement, eager to perfect each piece and anticipating next weeks masterpiece. The only explanation of how she has accelerated with such great speed is her love and discovery for music. I know she will be leaving my studio with a newfound love for piano that she will carry with her wherever she goes. And THAT is biggest accomplishment as a teacher I can think of. I believe that wherever Cricket goes in life, she will turn everything to gold for the people around her. I don't think anyone can meet Cricket just once and feel unaffected. I will never forget Cricket. She will always be my all time favorite teaching experience. And I hope down the road she calls me from time to time, to play me her current repertoire.
Ah yes, another pet owner obnoxious moment on my blog. My friends tell me I need to either get a hobby or have a kid because they are sick of the BEST IN SHOW. This video doesn't capture the best prehistoric Moki sounds when the bike comes out of the garage, but it's still very cute. He LOVES bike rides. 
