Tonight was the annual Music by DESign Spring Recital. It’s been 10 years since I first began teaching piano. Wow…a whole decade of music! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I’d be doing this for 10 years.
Tonight was all about the students: their progress and their achievements. For the first time, I held the recital on a Friday night rather than Saturday afternoon. It made for a busy day and evening, but everyone seemed so relaxed and stayed for the reception. The custodial staff had to kick us out at the end of the evening.
I was so proud of my students. This is the largest recital I’ve had in the years since we moved to Fairview. I had 100% participation from my 21 students, which was fantastic. Everyone played very well and we had a great turnout from the families and friends. For the first time ever, both my children performed in the recital. I was doubly proud – as their piano teacher and as their mom.
Crisana performed “Itsy Bitsy Worm” by Martha Mier and “Bubble Gum” by Carol Flatau.
Trey performed “Space Invaders!” and “Big Chief Running Bear”, both by Dennis Alexander (in his Especially for Boys collection).
At the end of the recital, the students received awards for participation, advancement, and just for fun. Both Trey and Crisana completed levels this year so they both received awards for advancement. I was just a little proud.
Each student also received an award just for fun. There are so many quirks, personality traits, and fun things that are said during lessons that I like to share those with parents. The just for fun awards are the perfect way to do that. Crisana received a “Purple Heart” certificate for playing with correct technique after smashing her finger in the car door. Her certificate read “A Purple Heart for a Purple Fingernail”. Trey received an award for playing his arpeggios with flair! He really loves cross-hand arpeggios. Trey’s certificate read “Awesome Arpeggios and Dynamite Dynamics”. He is becoming quite an expressive pianist.
Then it was time for cake! And yes, Willie Mae’s made my cake again this year, despite last year’s purple piano debacle.
I was very specific with what I wanted this year, and I was absolutely stunned with the result.
The cake was truly a work of art. And I’m pleased to say there was hardly any left!
I served strawberries, nuts, mints, and punch to complement the cake. Everything is in a black/white/red theme in keeping with the colors of my studio. And yes, the forks are laid out in a keyboard pattern. What can I say? It’s now a tradition. Even though no one notices but me.
This year I did something different – and hugely frightening – at my recital. I performed. Usually, I only play in duets with students – and beginners at that, and only if they want me to. The recital is about the students, not me. But this year, with all that my family has experienced, I wanted to do something special to acknowledge the support we’ve received from the students and their families. Shortly after Matt was diagnosed, I found an arrangement of “How Beautiful” by Twila Paris. This was one of the songs sung at our wedding and has always been special to us. When Matt was diagnosed, I found myself drawn to playing it to calm my nerves and process my emotions. Frankly, I didn’t know if I might be playing it for his funeral one day. Thankfully, that day has not come and I was able to present this performance as a gift to my husband, my students, and their families:
As we conclude our evening of celebration, I would be remiss if I didn’t offer one more reason to celebrate. As many of you know, in September my husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In April, following several months of diagnosis and treatment, we received the wonderful news that he is cancer-free and in complete remission. But that’s only part of the story. Tonight, I want to take a moment to honor and appreciate you, the parents, grandparents, and friends who are here. I want to thank you for the ways you reached out to my family this year: for praying for us and specifically for healing for Matt, for sending notes and cards of encouragement and hope, for those who provided meals – whether planned or not. In so many ways, you became part of our extended family as you journeyed through these difficult months with us. It would be impossible for me to acknowledge every act of kindness tonight (and besides, we have CAKE to get to), so I would like to offer this gift of appreciation to you. On the back of your program you will find the words to a song that has special meaning to me. I would like to invite the students to come join me on the stage, to sit around the piano as I perform for you an arrangement of “How Beautiful†by Twila Paris. Please accept this performance as my heartfelt gift of thanks to you for being the body of Christ to me and my family over this past year.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJQJEGz3qzU&feature=channel_page[/youtube]