Holland Music Studio

08/21/2026

Hi, everyone! It’s that time again! Holland Music Studio is scheduling lessons for the fall session. We offer private lessons in piano, guitar, drums & voice. I have a bachelor’s degree in piano pedagogy & accompanying and have been teaching privately for 33 years, 26 of those in Inola.

Jim Loyd teaches guitar & drums in the studio. Justin Martin, whom I taught for 12 years, teaches ONLINE piano & voice lessons, or he can teach in your home. He is able to travel to Inola, Claremore, Catoosa, Owasso & Chouteau.

We have some fun activities planned for the group, including the annual Christmas recital in December. Whether you’re 5 or 75 or anywhere in between, learning to play an instrument will enrich your life. Private message me if you’re interested in making music! 🎶

08/14/2026

07/28/2026

Happy Shark Week!

07/21/2026

She was 9 years old when they took her fingers. A young girl. A child. A musician. A future. They said she would never play again. They said she would never make music. They said she would never be anything.

They were wrong.

Her name was Anna. She was born in 1920. In a small village in Poland. She was poor. She was a girl. She was invisible.

But Anna had something. Something that would save her. Something that would change her life. Something that would make her unforgettable.

She wanted to play. She wanted to make music. She wanted to be something. She wanted to be everything.

Anna taught herself to play the piano with her toes. With determination. With discipline. With hope.

She learned to press the keys. To make the chords. To create the melody. To play the music. To play her heart. To play her soul. To play her dreams.

She played for 60 years. Sixty years. She played in concert halls. She played in cathedrals. She played for kings. She played for queens. She played for the world.

She became famous. A toe pianist. A former nothing. She became everything.

Here is the unforgettable detail.

Anna kept a journal. A journal of her music. Every performance. Every struggle. Every triumph. Every hope. The journal was 500 pages. Sixty years of playing. Sixty years of hope. Sixty years of faith.

She wrote in that journal every night. Even when she was tired. Even when she was in pain. Even when she wanted to give up. She wrote. Because writing was her prayer. Writing was her hope. Writing was her faith.

She wrote about the accident. She wrote about the loss. She wrote about the pain. She wrote about the acceptance. She wrote about the music. She wrote about the hope.

She said: "I lost my fingers at 9. They said I would never play again. I played with my toes. I played for 60 years. I played for the world. I proved them wrong. I proved them all wrong."

Anna performed at Carnegie Hall. At the Royal Albert Hall. At the Sydney Opera House. Her music was praised. Her story was told. Her hope was shared.

She said: "I cannot use my hands. But I can use my feet. I cannot press the keys with my fingers. But I can press them with my toes. I cannot be invisible. I am visible. I am a pianist. I am a musician. I am hope."

One of her students was a young girl named Maria. Maria was born without fingers. She was sad. She was angry. She was hopeless. She thought she would never play.

Anna taught Maria to play with her toes. Maria learned. She played. She performed. She became a pianist. She taught other children to play.

Maria said: "Anna saved my life. She gave me hope. She gave me a future. She gave me everything. I was nothing. She made me something. I was invisible. She made me visible. I was forgotten. She made me remembered."

Anna died in 1990. She was 70 years old. She died peacefully. In her home. Surrounded by her music. Surrounded by her family. Surrounded by her love.

At her funeral, a thousand people came. Her students. Their children. Their grandchildren. People who had been taught by Anna. People who had been changed by Anna. People who had been loved by Anna.

Maria spoke. She said: "Anna was 9 when they took her fingers. She became a pianist. She played with her toes for 60 years. She gave us hope. She gave us a future. She gave us everything. She was a pianist. She was a hero. She was a miracle. She was Anna. She was hope. She was faith. She was love."

A plaque was placed on the concert hall. The concert hall where Anna had performed. The concert hall where she had hoped. The concert hall where she had loved.

It said: "Anna. Pianist. Hero. Miracle. She was 9 when they took her fingers. She became a pianist. She played with her toes for 60 years. She was a pianist. She was a hero. She was a miracle. She was love."

That is the hidden history. Not the famous pianists and the famous concert halls. But the women who lost their fingers. Who played with their toes. Who created beauty from pain. Who believed in the power of music. Who believed in the power of hope. Who believed in the power of love.

Anna was 9 when they took her fingers. She became a pianist. She played with her toes for 60 years. She was a pianist. She was a hero. She was a miracle. She was love.

That is not just a story. That is a miracle. That is a legacy. That is love.

---

Based on real accounts of musicians who played with their toes. Names and specific details have been dramatized to honor collective memory.

07/20/2026

07/13/2026

🎹 What if the key to a sharper brain in your 70s was sitting in your living room collecting dust?

New research suggests that playing a musical instrument, whether you started as a child or picked it up later in life, may help protect your brain against age-related cognitive decline.

🔬 The findings are striking.

A 2023 study found that older musicians exhibited more youth-like brain connectivity patterns during challenging listening tasks compared to non-musicians. Their brains worked more efficiently, requiring less neural effort to achieve the same results.

🧠 How does this work?

Scientists believe musical training builds something called cognitive reserve. Think of it as extra neural backup your brain can draw on as you age. The intensive coordination between hearing, movement, and memory during practice creates stronger, more resilient brain networks.

📊 Multiple studies support this.

A meta-analysis found that playing an instrument was linked to a 36% lower risk of developing dementia. A 2025 study showed that adults in their 70s who continued playing for four years showed no decline in verbal working memory or brain structure volume, while those who stopped experienced typical age-related changes.

⚠️ Here's the important nuance.

The research suggests music may prevent or slow decline, not reverse damage that has already occurred. There's a meaningful difference between protection and repair.

💡 The takeaway?

It may never be too late to start. Whether you're dusting off an old guitar or learning piano for the first time, consistent musical practice could offer your brain real, measurable protection. Results vary by individual, and this isn't a replacement for medical care. But it's a beautiful reminder that the hobbies we love can also be the ones that help us most.

🎵 Your brain might just thank you for every note.

Sources: Grassi et al., PLOS Biology (2023); Seinfeld et al., Int J Geriatr Psychiatry (2022); Tabei et al., Imaging Neuroscience (2025)