Piano Lesson Vancouver shutting down

Piano Lesson Vancouver will be closing down at the end of June 2012. After 5 years of knowing I would move somewhere east and 1 year of serious commitment, I’m finally following my dream and moving to Montreal. Exciting! Scary, but still very very exciting.

To all of you who have supported me these last 5 years, thank you from the bottom of my heart and for all the wonderful memories. Thank you to my students – you have probably taught me much more than I have taught you – and the parents who never gave up on them.

Nothing is forever. I will be back in Vancouver summer 2013 and every summer after that because of friends and family. But for piano teaching, yes, this is the end in Vancouver.

Take care and I wish the best for you in life.

Love Lee.

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Student plays Yann Tiersen

This is Soha playing Yann Tiersen.

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My student scribbles on his music. How does he READ this?

Here’s a picture of what my student “Brad” did to his song.

In fact, he does this to all of his songs. It’s like marking his territory. When I asked him why he did this, he logically explained “That’s how I know which song to practice.” Well, I can’t argue with logic.

That said, how on earth does this kid manage to read the notes when he scribbles like this? Well, somehow he does, because in terms of practicing ethics, he’s one of the best students I have. He picks things up faster than most of my older students and he’s extremely talented for his 8 years.

Sometimes I have to tell him little things like that it’s an Eb not an E. So, like a good student he’ll grab his pencil to write it in to remind himself of the change. However, he’ll write Eb over the entire page, plus more scribbles! I can’t trust him with a pencil, but I can’t write it for him, because he’ll remember better if he writes a reminder himself.

I gave him a new song to work on last lesson.  Knowing that he would scribble over the page as soon as I gave him a new song, I hid all the pencils in the classroom. As predicted, he immediately looked for a pencil to scribble, but upon finding none nearby, he looked at me suspiciously: “You’ve hidden them, haven’t you?” He then proceeded to go sniffing around the room for pencils, like a dog.

It’s hard not to love this kid.

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Adventures in piano lessons: Brad does a rock and roll celebration dance

After working on a song for the last 2 months, I finally decided that Brad could pass it. He had worked hard at it and deserved a sticker.

Me: “Okay, great job Brad. You pass. Would you like a sticker?”

Brad: “Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!” in an Animal (muppet) voice. He then jumps off the piano bench and swings his arms in a rock and roll gesture before triumphantly yelling “Yes!”

Of course he repeats for good measure, just in case I didn’t see it the first time.

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Yoga in piano class

Brad stops playing piano, lies down on the floor and does this:

“Brad, what are you doing?”

“Stretching.”

Ask a stupid question.

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Adventures in piano lessons: Brad starts eating his knee.

This week in piano lessons:

Brad stops playing an awesome song on piano to do something stupid.

He starts chewing at the pants covering his knee.

Me: “Soooooo…..um, does that taste good Brad?”

Brad: “Mm hmm. Tastes like fresh. It just came out of the laundry.”

Me: “You are one weird kid, you know that?”

Brad looks up and smiles. “Yep.”

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Adventures in Piano Lessons – A student gets a taste of the professional world

“Gah!” said Mandy*.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“I just don’t know what they want? One girl wants me to transpose the entire song down, the other girl wants me to transpose it up. There’s so much to learn and not enough time! I’ve got one week to learn all this stuff before the audition. Then, if we get in, I have one week to learn all of THIS!” and she points to sheets of music by Katy Perry.

As I listened to Mandy talk about her exasperation with all the practice and cramming she was going to have in the next 7 days, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sentimental. My student was becoming a professional pianist right before my eyes! What a rite of passage. She was learning what it was like dealing with singers (she didn’t have to tell me she was dealing with singers. I could tell by the way she was talking about them). Plus the last minute deadlines and short notices to learn pieces. The expectation to play it perfectly by the deadline. The typical request of singers to transpose it up, down, sideways and backwards. And this is all dumped on a girl who is at a grade 2 level! As a teacher and musician, it was hard for me not to laugh.

Welcome to the life of a musician my dear. I am so so proud of you.

*Mandy is not her real name.


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