Disclaimer: Any names or personally identifiable information will be changed for any persons referenced.
I sat at my mom’s kitchen table, scrolling through the liberal arts majors. Voices bounced around in my head of everyone who had told me I couldn’t make a career out of the arts, those who reminded me how competitive performing arts were, and every other doubt that told me I was pursuing the impossible.
I wasn’t even aware that Purdue had a music major, but when I saw it on the list, I stopped scrolling. I felt my heart race.
“Could I do this?” I asked myself.
I pushed aside each critical voice in my mind. My mother, who is an artist and a painter, encouraged me. I could feel the support of other teachers and artists in my life, including my first piano teacher and my high school choir director.
I thought “YOLO!” and changed my major to music.
I was so excited to see which classes I could take starting next fall. I was also thrilled to discover my new major offered much more flexibility, and I had space for electives. Just for fun, I signed up for a dance class.
After spring break, I started working for a piano teacher, Iracebeth.
I was given a loose summary of my responsibilities, and she added the first students to my schedule. Besides the fact that Iracebeth’s piano studio was more than an hour's bus ride from where I lived, I felt like it was a pretty good gig. Working in the piano studio, I made significantly more money than my first campus job, which was McDonald’s (0/10 do not recommend) and it was also a step up from the daycare.
I definitely faced a learning curve learning to teach with clarity and confidence. Both students and parents looked at me as an example of experience and a well of knowledge. I felt more like a puddle of knowledge. I had to learn how to accept payments, explain Iracebeth’s studio policies, teach piano using a curriculum, and arrange my teaching so I was finished after 30 minutes, but also filled up the entire time slot.
As I got to know my students better, teaching got easier. I connected with their interests and made them laugh. I found out what pace they wanted to learn, so they wouldn’t be bored or overwhelmed.
The business-relationship side of things, however, worsened after the first few months. The expectations for my job constantly shifted.
To make matters worse, Iracebeth was also my piano teacher. I knew I needed to continue developing my musicianship so I could continue growing. But I remember gradually feeling more and more stressed. One particular class, there was a certain rhythm pattern I was struggling with. Iracebeth informed me that I needed to ‘figure it out’ or I wouldn’t be able to teach it.
Well, she’s not wrong, but what I needed was some solid coaching on how to figure it out.
Before her winter piano recital I was so stressed I found myself sobbing in the bathroom. As I wiped tears from my face, I realized that I needed a better work-life balance, which meant taking piano lessons from someone who did not consider herself my boss.
I took a drink of water, dried my eyes, and went to encourage my students who were performing that night.
In January, I started taking piano lessons from a really good friend from church. She teaches music classes in Elementary school, so she and I have a lot in common. She has helped me grow in so many ways, and I am so grateful to still have her as my teacher today.
Suffice it to say, Iracebeth was not pleased when she found out I was taking lessons from a different teacher.
Throughout the year, Iracebeth continued to express her displeasure with me. Once she told me that I needed to push my students harder and get them through the curriculum faster. That very same day, a parent thanked me for how patient I was when teaching their child. From that moment, I decided my priority was the opinion of my students and their parents.
Even though I tried to care less about her opinions of me, she was still in charge of my schedule and income. The frequency with which I cried at work increased.
Finally, as I was preparing for a new semester of classes, Iracebeth wanted to add six new students to my schedule. I knew I could not commit to teaching that many new students, especially not knowing what my course load would look like. I did what I could to negotiate a schedule that I could confidently commit to, but Iracebeth was uninterested in negotiations.
It was time to look for different piano teaching opportunities. In August of this year, following a prompting from God, I called a local music store. It turns out, they have a warehouse filled with dusty pianos they were willing to rent to me.
The next month was chaos as I started a new semester of classes and spent all my free time working. I cleaned and swept and dusted the warehouse. I set up my studio space, posted advertisements, and prepared to start teaching. And much to my astonishment, it went better than I could ever have imagined.
That is how I got to where I am today: full time college student, early 20s, piano teacher with her own business. This is definitely not the direction I planned on going, but I have learned so much and it has been the most amazing adventure.
If you have stuck around and read my story this far, thanks so much! Another thank you to everyone who has given me support and encouragement on this unexpected journey! I promise you, whatever you have going on in your life, God (or the universe or whatever power of love and light you may believe in) has a plan for you and is guiding your path. Sometimes it may not feel that way. I certainly did not feel that way when I was crying in the bathroom at work. I’m sure there will be times in the future when I don’t feel that way. But we just put one foot in front of the other, right?
I hope you stick around and keep reading my blog! I’ll continue sharing stories about my teaching adventures, infodumping about music, ranting about the recognition arts should get, and sharing teaching tips. Bye for now!
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