Tag: Chicago piano instructor

  • What you want

    You never know, really. People come in your studio, they all have different background. You get all sorts. I try to be welcoming because I understand that most of my job is to get in touch with the student. That’s my best bet to make sure we can communicate. My only weapon to beat video…

  • The Oscars

    I used to watch the Oscars every year. I looked forward to the beginning with the singing, the dancing, the jokes. I thought it was the best entertainment in the world. Besides, it was an opportunity to see the Elizabeth Taylor of our planet walk among the mere mortals. At the time, it seemed like…

  • The habit

    I am not sure who this post is written for. I’ve been in both categories of people at different times of my life. When you start an instrument, you won’t experience those symptoms because they take quite awhile to set in. It’s only after a few months, maybe even a few years of every day…

  • Old becomes new.

    I just got my work out. I dabbed in music. Let me explain. I have in my drum room a sound system that play music while my students try on an exercise. It was an old PA system, nothing fancy. Meanwhile, I also kept my very first sound system somewhere in the house. We are…

  • Breaks your heart

    I just watched an oldie 60 minutes report on a piano competition that happened in the 70’s. It showed 60 to 80 contestants vying for a first place that will give them fame and fortune. Every judge knows how high the stakes are. This is a make or break situation, really. If these people do…

  • Adding it up.

    I will confess I am someone who piles it up. I have an addictive personality. Don’t go just yet, I am not talking about anything bad or illegal. Let me try to explain. If you ever met me, you know I’ve been exploring different things in my life. At first, when I arrived in Chicago,…

  • Last man standing: the music teacher.

    In yesteryears schools had a budget and some buildings for extra curricular activities. There was a kitchen with a row of oven and sinks and some countertops, it mainly smelled of detergent. On the walls you’d see some pictures of cakes and roasted poultry (In reality, I do not know what you saw on the…

  • New delight

    I’ll give you a trick to find new music. Go to this website: https://www.louisianamusicfactory.com/ Usually I type in the search engine “New Orleans bands” and I’m off to the races. Let’s see. One to appear is Walter “Wolfman” Washington. Let’s check it out. The album is called “Feel so at home”. I hope I’m going…

  • Glimpses

    I remember when I started practicing the drums, I was very very bad. What I mean by that is that not only I didn’t know anything and was very bad at playing, I also discovered that I was not good at all at learning the craft. “Me Donkey” kind of thing. Any exercise I tried…

  • One man army.

    I do not have a boss. I do not have any employee or employees. I do not give checks every other week and I do not have to worry about anybody but myself. But it means that I need to combine many many different skills to be able to run my business. I could bore…