Piano Upgrade

Spring Recital: Saturday, May 6, 2023

Jessica and I had our final music recital together. I'm heartbroken she is moving to LA. Things were stressful the morning of the recital. Jessica got food poisoning and was up violently ill the night before/morning of. We didn't know if she would be able to make it which would have been devastating. Miraculously, she was able to come. She made it through the recital but did sit in the back near the restrooms just in case. Phew. We tried out a new recital venue and it worked out nicely. This time around, we charged our students a $10 recital fee to help with rental and printing costs.

Jessica made the sophisticated invitations and the program.

Unfortunately, many of my students could not be at the recital. It is such a busy time of year. 7 of my 12 students performed. A handful of my students are advanced now and made me look good! I played the piano a lot. I accompanied 12 of Jessica's violin/viola students and joined one of my students for a duet. It felt like I was constantly on stage. An advanced student performed a challenging song on the violin and my accompanying was not my best. In fact, the performer and I struggled through the last page and didn't really end together (due to him skipping a few lines). Yikes. I'm relieved the recital is over! Recitals won't be the same without Jessica. Sigh. I've made some studio changes prepping for the baby and said goodbye to some students. Farewell Earl family-- Corban, Kierra, and Gavin. 

I have gone back and forth about whether or not I will continue teaching when baby arrives. Where I have landed is to keep teaching, but to cut back. I'm taking time off this summer and will have fewer students to juggle when I start back up in the fall. Music is such a big part of my life. I don't know that I will teach forever, but I'm going to stick with what I have going for now. The extra income is a nice perk too. 

Piano Upgrade: Friday, May 12, 2023

A new piano has been high on my list for a while. Even if I had decided to stop teaching, I use my piano daily and know my kids will too. I have browsed Facebook marketplace, contacted people on KSL, and tried out several pianos in stores. A new piano is not a cheap item which is why it has taken me so long to finally pull the plunge. My dream piano is a grand piano, but that just isn't realistic right now. I bought a piano this morning! It was delivered 45 minutes later. It all feels too good to be true. Happy Mother's Day to me! Here's how it happened...

I haven't been able to get the idea of a new piano out of my head. I was mailed an advertisement for a piano sale. I nearly threw the paper away, but it kept calling my name. After talking to someone on the phone acknowledging that I could actually afford some of the pianos at the sale, I made an appointment to go look. All the pianos are at a highly discounted price. Each year, a school gets new pianos and they sell the old ones. It's a nonprofit organization which means I get a 40 percent tax deduction for my purchase. Woot woot. 

There were only 2 black pianos within my budget. The more expensive piano had a weird squeak and vibration which narrowed it down. The cheaper piano it was! It's a shiny black Schumann piano. It is only 6 months old!! It looks and plays like it's brand new. Financing was my number one question. Another piano store I have been working with offered me 6 months with 0 percent financing. I brought this up and kind Alan agreed to offer me the same deal. I was blown away. Paying the full price of the piano today wasn't in the cards for us. I paid half today and have 6 months to pay the remainder with no interest or penalty. Unreal. I was also able to get $100 off the piano because I'm a teacher.

Another concern I brought up was getting my old piano back to my grandma. My grandma has been graciously letting me borrow the piano for the last 6 years. It was her mom's piano, my Great Grandma Woods' piano. The piano has so much sentimental value. Lately, its age has been showing more and more. The last time I had it tuned, the tuner implied it didn't have much life left. The bench is broken, the music holder is ruined, and a key sticks which aggravates my students. As a teacher, I wasn't feeling very professional about my instrument. Riverton Music agreed to deliver the piano back to my grandma. What! The price was reasonable given the heavy lifting, distance to Lehi, and brutal staircase to Grandma's basement. My grandma is thrilled to have the piano back at her fingertips. 

Notice my thriving, living plant. Who am I!?

Ahh! I can't wait to see my students' reactions next week when they see my shiny, beautiful piano. The old broken bench recently smashed a poor student's fingers. The new bench is so comfortable and soft Isabelle declared she could sleep on it all night. I even spent some of my coveted, precious quiet time playing my new instrument. I couldn't resist....

(And yes, we need to re-hang the painting a smidge higher. The new piano is taller.)