Happy Birthday

Today is one of my student's birthdays. He's a sweet little boy bursting at the seams with energy. When he first started with me, I really wanted to talk to mom about waiting to take lessons because he was bouncing off the bench at every lesson. I think part of it was also my lack of energy and not feeling well early on in pregnancy. Three months later, he's been one of my fastest students to learn how to read notes on a staff! He still has boundless energy and can't sit still, but I'm definitely more equipped to handle that when I feel like myself instead of nauseated.

Today is his birthday, and ever since I started teaching I told myself I wanted to do something special for my kids on their birthday. Most of them get a card. Sometimes if I know the student a little better, I can get them a small trinket. But even then, a card from your piano teacher is pretty special.




Especially when your name is embossed in silver glitter :)

As a piano student myself years ago, my teacher never paid any attention to my birthday. I honestly don't think he ever knew it, although it was probably tucked away in a contact info binder somewhere. My last birthday spent as a piano student, I remember being reprimanded because I was excited for my birthday party (and apparently wasn't practicing enough because of my excitement...) and wanted to try fake nails for homecoming that year. He gave me a look of disgust and told me they had to be gone right after the dance was over. Little did he know, less than 24 hours after putting them on, I spent the night painstakingly taking them off because as nice as they looked and as much as I loved the clickety-clack sound, I couldn't stand the feeling of my nails being so long after all. Being a pianist for 12 years had trained my sensations far too well, and even now, I keep my nails trimmed quite short.

This boy is only turning six. I hope he never has to experience the guilt of being overly excited for his birthday because his piano teacher wasn't satisfied with his performance. I hope he keeps his bubbly personality no matter how well or poorly he plays piano. And I hope regardless of how long I teach him, he will have a good memory of me. Because in the end I don't think it's what we offer to others that creates the legacy. It's who we are when we offer them.