"One, two three," Ryan intoned with a slight bounce to his head. Sitting upon the piano bench with Maggie, one of his younger students, he kept his eyes on her hands. He was looking for imperfections in her slowly improving technique. The lesson was nearing it's end and Ryan knew the girl's hands, wrists and arms were growing tired.
Her slender wrist dropped, just a hair, but it was enough to send her finger onto the wrong key. Ryan's eyes narrowed just a hair as the wrong note sounded, throwing off the entire signature. "What just happened?" He knew the answer, he wanted to see if she did.
"Sorry!" she stopped playing abruptly and turned on the bench to look up at her instructor. Bringing her small hands together, she rubbed the soreness from her wrists. "My wrist dropped and it threw me off," she murmured her reply. Try as she might, she couldn't look her instructor in the eyes, afraid of the disappointment she'd see there.
There was no disappointment to be seen, if she'd looked up. Ryan was proud of her for knowing the right answer, because then she could learn from the mistake and make it less frequently. "You're right," he smiled and then pushed off of the bench. "You let yourself get lazy over the summer," he chided. "Let's get you a keyboard to take home and I'll see you next week, okay?"
Ryan had always been firm, but kind to his students. Maggie was no exception. To her, and the others, to make a mistake and disappoint their instructor was equivalent to making a speech in front of your peers and becoming stage shy and tongue tied. When the reprieve came, and there were no harsh words or criticisms, a smile appeared on the teenager's freckled face and every bit of the expensive orthodontia was exposed. "Ok, Mr. Garabedian," she replied and followed him to the check out counter.
A horn blared outside of the studio, indicating that Maggie's father was waiting for her. Ryan glanced outside as he was writing up the ticket and logging it in both his spreadsheet and ledger. "I want you to practice the Mozart piece, and we'll go over that when you come back. Remember to do your stretching exercises before you play. It'll help with that drooping wrist."
With a smile, he held out the keyboard. Maggie took the proffered rental and placed it into her book bag. "Yes, sir, Mr. Garabedian. I'll see you next week!" She waved and rushed out of the studio and into her father's waiting car. Ryan returned the wave and grinned as he watched the flaxen haired girl with bouncing braids climb into her car.
He only had about ten minutes before the next student was to arrive, so Ryan made his way to the back office for a sip of cranberry and tonic. He could hear the door chime, announcing his next student. It was the last of the day and the easiest as Frannie was already at an almost professional level. She'd been studying under Ryan since he'd been instructing and had taken years of lessons prior to that. He didn't have to teach her to play, what he was teaching her was how to get a job as a musician.
Placing the bottle of juice into his mini-fridge, he stepped out of the back office. Already music was flowing from the piano and Ryan had to admire the girl's pluck. But when he turned the corner, it wasn't Frannie sitting at the piano.
"Steve, what are you doing here?" Ryan stopped dead in his tracks, feeling the panic rising. His heart began to race and he was finding it a little difficult to breathe. "I thought I told you not to come back."
"Nobody teaches like you, Mr. G," Steve replied, moving his hands from the keys to sit in his lap. "I'm really sorry about what happened. It won't happen again, I promise. I just want to learn from you. Please, don't send me back to Mr. Breckenridge. He hits with a ruler." And though Steve was a young man, Ryan realized just then that Steve was no more than an adolescent in a man's body.
He sighed, and then nodded his blond head. "Alright, Steve. But if you ever try anything like that again, and we're done. Do you understand me?" Ryan had taken off his glasses to stare directly into Steve's face. It was the most stern he'd ever been with a student. But, he meant business. Teaching and kissing had nothing to do with each other.
"Thank you, Mr. G.," Steve knew better than to smile, facing that turbulent expression that was on Ryan's face. "Let's get to work then."
"No," Ryan shook his head and glanced to the door when Frannie stepped inside. She was tall, the color of caf? au lait, with long frizzy hair and wearing a yellow and blue summer dress. "It's Frannie's turn. I'll see you next week."
Disappointment clouded Steve's eyes, but he had no grounds to argue on. Rising from the piano bench, he surrendered over to Frannie. "See you next week then, teach," he grinned and winked to Frannie before leaving the studio.
"What's up with him?" Frannie lifted a doubting brow to her instructor. "Thought you got rid of him?" She sat down, placing her bag next to her feet. Placing her hands together, she began the stretching exercises she'd been doing since she was little.
"I did, but he's back," Ryan pushed off of the counter and strolled over to the piano. Frannie had become a good friend over the years, but he wasn't going to give into her "oh no you didn't" expression. "And it's none of your business," Ryan grinned, then flipped open the music book to a very technical piece. "When you're ready..."
Her slender wrist dropped, just a hair, but it was enough to send her finger onto the wrong key. Ryan's eyes narrowed just a hair as the wrong note sounded, throwing off the entire signature. "What just happened?" He knew the answer, he wanted to see if she did.
"Sorry!" she stopped playing abruptly and turned on the bench to look up at her instructor. Bringing her small hands together, she rubbed the soreness from her wrists. "My wrist dropped and it threw me off," she murmured her reply. Try as she might, she couldn't look her instructor in the eyes, afraid of the disappointment she'd see there.
There was no disappointment to be seen, if she'd looked up. Ryan was proud of her for knowing the right answer, because then she could learn from the mistake and make it less frequently. "You're right," he smiled and then pushed off of the bench. "You let yourself get lazy over the summer," he chided. "Let's get you a keyboard to take home and I'll see you next week, okay?"
Ryan had always been firm, but kind to his students. Maggie was no exception. To her, and the others, to make a mistake and disappoint their instructor was equivalent to making a speech in front of your peers and becoming stage shy and tongue tied. When the reprieve came, and there were no harsh words or criticisms, a smile appeared on the teenager's freckled face and every bit of the expensive orthodontia was exposed. "Ok, Mr. Garabedian," she replied and followed him to the check out counter.
A horn blared outside of the studio, indicating that Maggie's father was waiting for her. Ryan glanced outside as he was writing up the ticket and logging it in both his spreadsheet and ledger. "I want you to practice the Mozart piece, and we'll go over that when you come back. Remember to do your stretching exercises before you play. It'll help with that drooping wrist."
With a smile, he held out the keyboard. Maggie took the proffered rental and placed it into her book bag. "Yes, sir, Mr. Garabedian. I'll see you next week!" She waved and rushed out of the studio and into her father's waiting car. Ryan returned the wave and grinned as he watched the flaxen haired girl with bouncing braids climb into her car.
He only had about ten minutes before the next student was to arrive, so Ryan made his way to the back office for a sip of cranberry and tonic. He could hear the door chime, announcing his next student. It was the last of the day and the easiest as Frannie was already at an almost professional level. She'd been studying under Ryan since he'd been instructing and had taken years of lessons prior to that. He didn't have to teach her to play, what he was teaching her was how to get a job as a musician.
Placing the bottle of juice into his mini-fridge, he stepped out of the back office. Already music was flowing from the piano and Ryan had to admire the girl's pluck. But when he turned the corner, it wasn't Frannie sitting at the piano.
"Steve, what are you doing here?" Ryan stopped dead in his tracks, feeling the panic rising. His heart began to race and he was finding it a little difficult to breathe. "I thought I told you not to come back."
"Nobody teaches like you, Mr. G," Steve replied, moving his hands from the keys to sit in his lap. "I'm really sorry about what happened. It won't happen again, I promise. I just want to learn from you. Please, don't send me back to Mr. Breckenridge. He hits with a ruler." And though Steve was a young man, Ryan realized just then that Steve was no more than an adolescent in a man's body.
He sighed, and then nodded his blond head. "Alright, Steve. But if you ever try anything like that again, and we're done. Do you understand me?" Ryan had taken off his glasses to stare directly into Steve's face. It was the most stern he'd ever been with a student. But, he meant business. Teaching and kissing had nothing to do with each other.
"Thank you, Mr. G.," Steve knew better than to smile, facing that turbulent expression that was on Ryan's face. "Let's get to work then."
"No," Ryan shook his head and glanced to the door when Frannie stepped inside. She was tall, the color of caf? au lait, with long frizzy hair and wearing a yellow and blue summer dress. "It's Frannie's turn. I'll see you next week."
Disappointment clouded Steve's eyes, but he had no grounds to argue on. Rising from the piano bench, he surrendered over to Frannie. "See you next week then, teach," he grinned and winked to Frannie before leaving the studio.
"What's up with him?" Frannie lifted a doubting brow to her instructor. "Thought you got rid of him?" She sat down, placing her bag next to her feet. Placing her hands together, she began the stretching exercises she'd been doing since she was little.
"I did, but he's back," Ryan pushed off of the counter and strolled over to the piano. Frannie had become a good friend over the years, but he wasn't going to give into her "oh no you didn't" expression. "And it's none of your business," Ryan grinned, then flipped open the music book to a very technical piece. "When you're ready..."