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LESSON SCHEDULE
Before starting every piece, Emily in the 1st grade at Eagles Nest, pauses and says, "Let the games begin."
Gracie, age 10, arrived for her lesson accompanied by her dad, little brother, 5, and sister, 7.
Dad and sibs went to the nursery while Gracie began a piece called "Dragon Hunt." I kidded around with her about dragons being real and she said,
"Dragons aren't real." I said sadly, "Aw, don't tell me that. Next you'll be saying Santa's not real." She put her finger to her lips, said "Shh!" and
motioning towards the nursery, added "Don't spoil it for the kids."
Talk about CUTE!
Kittie pix courtesy of Dave Ahl
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 Will was trying to pull a fast one on me at the keyboard, thinking I wouldn't catch it. I said, "I know your tricks. I was once a little boy." He replied innocently, "I didn't know that."
When Karina kept making unexplainable mistakes, she drew from her Lutheran upbringing by saying, "The piano angel of death has come upon me."
Kristina's new piece was called Allegro, which means "fast" in Italian. I asked her for the title and she said, "Oregano."
Myranda, age 9 from Lewisburg, after her very first voice lesson at my church, asked "Can you teach me to play the organ before I leave?"
At her 2nd lesson, when I asked her how many beats were in a measure, she answered, "About a lot."
Kyla played a piece from Carmen, a French opera set in Spain written by Georges Bizet (Zhorzh BeeZAY).
I asked her if she could tell me the composer's name, and gave her a hint by saying the first name, to which she replied, "Lopez?"
Gracie, a 1st grader, asked me to smile, then said, "Open your mouth." She peered in and announced, "You have plaque on your tongue."
Normally a student says "hello" or something like "Guess what we did in school today?" when they first come in.
Lexis, however, greeted me with, "What do you know about bloodwork?"
I mentioned giving a makeup lesson to a 10-year old "tween." She later said to her mother, "Did you know that Mr.
James also does make-up classes?"
One of the first songs in the primer level is called "Kittens on the Keys". I often use it as a bridge to ask the student if they have any pets.
Sophia said she didn't have any cats or dogs, then added, "I have a little brother, though."
I asked Isabel, a voice student, what time signature her song was in and she answered, "Central?"
I asked a 7 year old why she hadn't finished her theory assignment. She replied in earnest, "I was concentrating on the songs."
P.S.: The same girl likes to finish nearly every piece with "Cha-cha-cha"!
A student whose mom is a doctor called me on my studio phone with a question about a piece and asked, "Are you in with a patient?"
Amy, a new student who had never played in a recital before asked me, "When is the funeral?"
In jest, I told Jaran he needed more fingers and could perhaps buy some at the store. Without skipping a beat he said, "I can do that. Butterfingers!"
Alden came in with sniffles and I asked if he had a cold. He replied in a loud voice, "It's allergy season." Later in the lesson when I pointed out an error, he proclaimed, "It's allergy season!"
I asked Avery what he had left out of his performance and he answered, "The damnamics." Then being a good little Catholic, he profusely apologized!
I told a 6 year old prodigy that she was a really good pianist. Without batting an eye, Cecilia looked at me and said, "I can hang upside down on the monkeybars."
From a 7 year old: "You're a strange little man." She had to say it twice before I realized she was quoting from Toy Story!
A young girl who is usually very serious asked me, "Where's my other book?" and kept on playing. I realized her lesson book was missing.
I asked, "Did you leave it at home?" She said, "No." "Could it be in the car?" "No." Just as I was about to ask her mom to check the car, she pulled the book out from under her and announced with a giggle, "I was sitting on it!"
Yeji's reason for missing a lesson: "I had to go to the cemetery with the church members to visit the people who have died."
Rose, an 11 year old, responded to me asking why kids like to blame me for their mistakes: "You're an easy target."
An 8th grader, Helen, had a little trouble at the beginning of her recital piece.
She stopped, threw her hands in the air, turned to the audience and proclaimed, "I can do this, people!" Then she started over and played it perfectly.
I asked a new student what kind of piano she had at home. I showed her the drawing of a grand piano on the cover of the Faber method, which features a flying piano (see picture at left).
She said, "Yeah, that's the kind I have--only without wings!"
I told an adult student she didn't have to move on the bench to play an octave higher...that her arms would stretch, and she said, "But they don't like to."
When we got to the page that introduced accidentals, I said to an 8 year old, "Look, now we're starting on sharps." Her response was to gasp, "Finally!"
On seeing the recital roster, Jessie told her mother, "I'm first because I'm cute."
Avery, 4, takes piano from me right after church. During today's lesson she asked, "Do you want to hear me play a pretty song?" I said, "Sure. Are there words to it?" "She answered, "Let me play it with my fingers first and then sing it to you with my mouth." So she played it, then sang a little tune. I said, "That's nice. Did you make it up yourself?" Without hesitation, she replied, "No. God taught it to me."
Shiloh, a 1st grader at Eagles Nest Academy had a question and said, "Mr. Grizzly?" I asked her why she was calling me Mr. Grizzly and she said, "I forgot what your name is."
(P.S.: I don't have a beard and don't think I resemble a bear, so I have to file this one under "Go Figure!")
After a student completes a piece, I'll often cover the name of the composer and say, "For $50, tell me who wrote that song." (It gets them to pay attention to the name -- and I haven't had to pay out yet!)
But Karina thought very hard and said deliberately, one word at a time: "Franklin...Joe...Love...Puscious." I probably should have paid her just for originality!
A little girl who hasn't quite discovered the joy of music yet told me emphatically, "I'd rather do the dishes than have a piano lesson."
A 13-year old 8th grader, Nicole, knows every square inch of the mall, but isn't sure where to find her piano.
I asked her how many times she had practiced during the week and she said thoughtfully, "One time. Well...half of once."
Ananda is almost 5, with a very active imagination. I asked her if she was reading words yet, and as a test pointed to the word "at" in the lyrics of a song.
She said, "J. C. Penneys."
My Saturday 9am student couldn't keep still on the bench. I asked him what he had for breakfast, and he replied, "I ate a chipmunk."
Inès, a new student at the Franklin Recreation Complex, stopped in the middle of her 2nd lesson, threw her arms around me and proclaimed, "I missed you so much!"
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