I have studied piano now for forty years and continue to work with area teachers to improve my skills. I began teaching piano in 2005 and maintain a studio of 15-30 students a year. I have served as Vice-President and President of the Tacoma Chapter of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). I also regularly attend seminars, workshops, and specialized training opportunities.
The real truth is that I have been in love with music all my life. I knew I wanted to play the piano starting about age 8, so I asked my aunt to begin teaching me. We didn’t have a lot of money, so I played on a small keyboard. I needed something more substantial to practice on eventually, so my mom arranged for me to walk across the neighborhood to a friend’s house with a piano. They let me practice there, (the five sons hated it!)and my love of piano just kept growing.
I soon proved my dedication, so my mom worked to make great things happen. She found an old baby grand piano in the backroom of a music store and convinced them to sell it to her for $100. I played on that piano through graduation. My grandmother was also impressed with my talent, so one year she gifted me piano lessons for the rest of the time I was at home. I studied with a local teacher named Norman Poulshock. I loved him, and he taught me so much. My first piano that I taught on when I opened my studio was my grandmother’s piano that she willed to me after she died (the same one my dad played on).
I feel it a privilege to provide, even in a small part, what I was given from such a young age: the gift and love of music.