03/13/2026
Triple congratulations to this student on her 200th lesson! Her milestone present from me was a combination of heart (artistry) and ribcage (protection). For the heart, she got a 1917 first edition of “Prince Melody in Music Land: Musical Fairy Tales for Musical Children” by Elizabeth Simpson. I know she’s old enough now to take care of such a treasure. For the ribcage, she got three "Smart Girl’s Guides." The first is "Money: How to Make It, Save It, and Spend It,” the second is “Worry: How to Feel Less Stressed and Have More Fun," and the third is “Getting It Together: How to Organize Your Space, Your Stuff, Your Time, and Your Life.” She writes:
Looking back on all my years in piano there have been several moments that stick out. I remember all the group events, especially the Witching Hour when I dressed like a black cat for my performance and made my tail puff. I still have seven programs from the last studio recital where I earned my 30 Songs Challenge poster. It lives next to my piano, it’s the dark teal color I choose, and it has the titles of the 30 songs on it.
I remember walking into the studio and on the left in the hall, there was a little platform with three glass pyramids and a blue starry heart stone and they represented pitch, rhythm, technique, and artistry. I remember them because Miss Tess made me walk down the hallway to wash my hands before every lesson.
One of my other favourite memories is when Miss Tess took me into a room filled with books. It was really amazing because most of them looked really old like something that you would find in a magical library, not in a modern day house. Stepping through the doorway was like stepping back in time. We started talking about old books, and that’s when Miss Tess said she would get me a copy of Prince Melody if she could find it.
In my first lesson, I remember hiding behind my mom. The house was decorated for Halloween but the only thing I was actually scared of was the new person in front of me!
When Miss Tess moved to Ohio I said, “We have to be online forever?!” When she had to have her house worked on, we had lessons from the hotel. If Miss Tess had canceled during the scam house repairs, I would have flown to Ohio if I had to and banged on her hotel room door and said, “Give me lessons NOW!”
In the fall Miss Tess sends us these huge packages that are about half as big as I am. They’re filled with really fun prizes and new spiral books and music and a letter and a planner with stickers. I have seven spiral books so far! The boxes are a reminder that we have a give-and-take system. The prizes make up for the fact that we’re online. They motivate me to get my work done. It’s also special because if I was taking in-person lessons from some other random person I would earn different things, but the prizes from Miss Tess are super personalized.
Miss Tess taught me some Latin phrases like “stultus unicornis” and “tace nunc” and “musa cerebri" and right now I’m learning key signatures and scales for Latin workbook prizes.
I’ve done two holiday performances at my house. A couple of my friends came and we had pizza afterwards. Also, my choir conductor Julian came. It meant a lot that he made the time to see me play. The house recitals were harder than the group events because I had to do like four or five pieces with intros instead of just one. My grandparents and Miss Tess watched me on Zoom. My mom supported me so much because she invited people and decorated everything.
My two cats, Melody and Tigger, sort of help me practice. Tigger likes to sleep inside our piano cover and Melody “plays” the piano by walking on it and sitting on it and getting cat hair all over it.
Last fall was the first time I’d seen Miss Tess in-person for a lesson since January 31st, 2023. The lesson was fun because it felt so normal but special at the same time.
When I started lessons I wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue, but now, I wouldn’t dream of quitting. I think lessons work being 2,000 miles apart because Miss Tess and I are both stubborn. We’re determined to make this work. It has definitely been worth fighting for!
