Surprise Gift from a Piano Student!

As most of you know, I had surgery a few weeks ago (hysterectomy). I was unable to teach my piano students during that time. It’s been six weeks now since my surgery, so I decided to go back to teaching again.

Today, one of my piano students surprised me with a gift! :present:

She gave me a little bunny that she decorated herself - so precious. And she also gave me a VERY NICE knitting project bag. It has lots of pockets and zipped compartments. The bag has a metal frame, so you can sit it on the floor, and a handle on top so you can carry it easily. It also has a thick strap for carrying on your shoulder. Cool!

How sweet was that?! Your students must miss you!

What a sweet little girl… Love the bunny and knitting bag!! :cheering:

That is a knifty bag. You must be a great teacher!

Your students know you well! How very thoughtful of them! :heart:

She is such a sweetie. Her name is Maddie. I’ve been teaching piano to her for a couple years, and she is doing very well. Her mother told me that while I was out, Maddie missed me so much she was crying! :crying:

I was extra loving today, because I knew how much she had missed me. We had a wonderful time together, playing piano and laughing. It feels good to be teaching again. :balloons:

:smiley: What an exciting gift :smiley: It’s obvious that you are more than a piano teacher, you are an inspiration :smiley:

I just found the website for the project bag my student gave me.

http://www.bagsmith.com/

If you click on “Caboodle”, you’ll see the Project Bag. That’s it!
It’s very nice and sturdy. I think it will last a very long time.

Here’s another website with a bigger picture.
http://www.stitchesmarket.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=491&cat=96&page=1

Wow this is an awesome gift! My sister-in-law is a piano teacher too, and she always gets gifts from her students, even though she lives in an area where people are far from being privileged. There’s just something about piano teachers, I guess! :smiley:

Speaking of hysterectomy, did you know that knitty had a pattern for a “womb”? Yup… here it is http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter04/PATTwomb.html

:rofling:

Wow what an awesome knitting bag! Thanks for posting the links.

Isn’t it more special when someone takes the time to find something that they know you are passionate about.

Off to see if anyone local has that bag. :smiley:

Yeah, I love that pattern - so funny! I wanted to make one before my surgery and hang it on my door at the hospital. I was going to be funny and say, “Look what they did with my uterus!”

Oh well…time slipped up on me before the surgery…and I was feeling pretty rotten, so I didn’t make it.

Maybe I’ll make it in time for my 1 year hysterectomy anniversary. :lol:

All of my students are so sweet. They all know how much I love to knit, because I always bring a project along to the studio and work on it in between lessons. (Sometimes a student doesn’t show, and that leaves me 30 minutes of knitting time!)

It’s funny…several of my students have been learning to knit. I think they have been fascinated with my projects and want to learn.

Let’s see. I have 12 students…and 1, 2, 3, 4…5 of them knit! One of the parents does too. Pretty cool!

That is so sweet! You’ll have to knit her a little hat or something. :wink:

How touching. I must be having a serious case of PMS because that brought tears to my eyes…especially the part where you said she missed you so much she was crying. You must be a very special teacher, and you’re obviously loved!!! Those are great gifts!

Definitely! I gave the family lots of knitted items for Christmas. Scarf for Mom, Hat and Scarf sets for the two sisters, Scarf for little brother. I left out the older sister and their father, though. But I don’t usually get to see them.

I think I should make something special just for Maddie, though. I’ll have to give that some thought. She’s a very special girl - smart, pretty, fun to talk to, and very good at piano. She’s probably going to be president one day. :smiley:

Our piano teacher (my DD10 and I take lessons) learned to crochet with us in Feb. She is pregnate and wanted to make a shell baby afghan. She is due any day.

She is wonderful and we :heart: her.

I’m so glad you were touched by the story! It means a lot to share this special time with all of you. I was so happy yesterday to start teaching again - the surprise gift was icing on the cake!

About my teaching style…I’m not your average “critical” piano teacher. I had one of those when I was in college. She was so mean…criticizing my playing to the point where I ended up in tears on the piano bench…and SHE KEPT ON CRITICIZING. I quit piano that day and changed to an Organ major instead. I swore that I would NEVER be that way with any of my students. The day I make a student that unhappy is the day I will quit teaching.

I decided instead to be an encouraging, nurturing teacher. I am extremely patient, and try to correct them with positive words. My students enjoy talking to me also. (We usually take about 5 minutes of lesson time just sharing our week!) I think it’s important that we have a relationship like this. They listen better, and they are more relaxed when they play.

I believe that playing the piano should be a JOY, not a chore. There’s nothing more disappointing to me than to see a student who wins competitions, but hates every minute of it. When they lose the love of music, there is no hope of them continuing to play as they get older. If they hold on to the love, they will enjoy playing for the rest of their lives.

That is very sweet–I always loved my piano teacher…

I tutor a little boy (listen to me–he’s a senior in HS) who has Asperger’s Syndrome and I’ve worked with him since he was in 7th grade…people are always amazed at how sweet the gifts are that his family gives me. It’s nice b/c I really feel appreciated!

Your student really appreciates you too–I’m glad you’re feeling better.

Thanks Cristy,

You have a hard job! My oldest son has Asperger’s also. He’s in college now and doing fine. He was originally classified as High-Functioning Austistic, but they learned over time that Asperger’s was a better classification for his traits. He’s very smart and does well in school, but his “attitude” causes problems sometimes.

Good luck to you!

My 10 year old son has two piano teachers! One he really likes and has lots of fun with and another is a young studetn that he learns more theory kinds of stuff with. But she’s nice too. The one he has fun with is insprired by my knitting whille I wait that she is going to start too. Hmmm… there’s some mystical connection between knitting and piano playing? :thinking: