Retired (not!)--refired!

After 40 years of sharing music, I thought I had retired. There had been the 40th-anniversary recital called "The Farewell Recital" ... the turning over of important historical musical finds ... the emotionally difficult task of attempting to carefully place each student with another teacher ... the goodbyes ... the selling of some of my nine pianos, computer and piano labs ... the physical breaking up of a professional studio, enhanced and expanded over 40 years ... the selling of the house and many possessions ... packing ... more goodbyes ... and then the actual move to Florida. Then I waited for the arrival of my concert grand and digital pianos ... the complete lifestyle change and the wonderful part--the finally-being-together-all-the-time part with my husband of 45 years.

It didn't take long to hit me: once a teacher--always a teacher. I could not be retired--I was refired! (1) And, unquestionably, MTNA had helped make it happen.

Attending MTNA National Conferences had always been an important annual goal--sometimes achieved, sometimes not. One day, I came across a cassette tape purchased at the 2001 MTNA National Conference. The session had been on Internet teaching and was, in my opinion, ahead of its time. (2)

A few former students had absolutely refused to be placed with other teachers upon my retirement. That had worried me. One adult student had previously worked on the Internet--she and her husband had setup video cameras so their parents, in a different city, could see and talk to their grandchildren and watch them grow. We suddenly got excited and fired up about the possibilities before us. Why not continue our lessons together--on the Internet?

Soon the computer was up and running. My former studio had been equipped with a great deal of technology for many years. A high-speed piano lab was in my previous studio and a specific lab curriculum had been developed and required for all my students, in addition to each private lesson, regardless of the student's level. In my new location, like the former studio, the Roland digital piano was MIDI interfaced to the computer. A computer consultant was hired and our access to the Internet was elevated from dial-up to DSL. Finally, we were ready to get started. The next step? The adult student and I set up identical video cameras with built-in microphones. I also purchased a router. My hardware investment was less than $200. The necessary software was already in my Windows XP package, so there was no need to purchase any new software.

By now, the student and I were really excited, or in my case, refired! After a few tries and overcoming a few minor glitches, we connected. And there we were--1,000 miles apart, talking and working together again as though we were in the same room. It was exhilarating, and I knew for certain that I was not retiring. Slowing down, perhaps, but total retirement? No way!

Week after week, we worked at refining our connections and our lessons. We noticed a slight echo in our speaking voices across the miles but strangely and most wonderfully, when we played together, there was not the slightest delay or echo--we were together note to note. We "meet" on Friday mornings most weeks, and now in our third season, we are progressing nicely.

One of the things I missed most about teaching was ensemble music. With two acoustic grands side by side in teaching position in my former studio, students and I were always able to play duos and concerti. And in the former piano lab, we were even able to play chamber music on digital pianos. Now in our new home, there was just one grand--my prized Fazioli concert grand on one floor and the Roland digital piano upstairs, MIDI interfaced into the computer. Recently, the adult student and I took our studies one step further: on the Internet, we played our first concerto together. Talk about being refired--this exciting genre really works.

In the Florida studio, I frequently record both the piano one and piano two orchestral reduction portion of a concerto onto a MIDI disk, and then take it to my Roland 90-S player, which sits on the concert grand and take turns playing both parts together. This keeps me practicing and on my toes just as much as the student.

Other area teachers have become as excited about the possibilities for the future as I am. At a local MTA meeting, teachers watched and listened to my student and I play a concerto together across more than 1,000 miles. It was an awesome and exciting experience.

The moral of this story?

1. Remember to thank MTNA for all its wonderful programs and support over the years!

2. Attend conferences and seminars whenever you can.

3. Purchase tapes and videos of sessions whenever you can and listen to and keep them; you'll never know when they will spark a new idea.

4. Do not allow yourself to become stale in our profession--stay current at any stage of your life. There is always something more to learn, do or continue.

5. And above all else, don't retire--become refired!

NOTES

(1.) "Refired" is a word created by my Aunt Lynne Salsbury, also a respected educator of many years. When she heard about what I was doing on the Internet, she sent me a loving note saying, "You're not retired--you're refired!"

(2.) Piano Lessons Via the Internet. Exploring the Possibilities. Cassette Tape, No. 337, March 27, 2001.

Judith S. Siegel, FSCTM, NCTM, has more than 40 years experience as a music educator teaching piano, technique, theory, music history and pedagogy. She is a frequent adjudicator, guest clinician at universities, conferences and conventions, and has nearly 400 published articles and works and 25 teaching books.