The following was written by my late wife Elaine. She wrote a long book, a diary really, from which this is one passage:
The Christmas Season
An interesting little red-haired student started lessons at the age of six, although he couldn’t read yet. But he learned to read music, and he played as fast as his fingers would go. He couldn’t read the word “slow” so I drew turtles on his music pages to remind him about slowing down. Sometimes I let him read only one line of music at a time, covering up the rest, and praising him like mad if he’d slow down and match my pace.
During the only Christmas season he studied piano, he learned an easy “We Three Kings.” After he played it for two weeks, I happened to sit behind him and his mom at an elementary school band concert where his older brother played. When the band teacher announced “We Three Kings,” the redhead turned around to me with wide eyes and said, “That’s the same as my song!”
Maybe he thought I made it up and that it wasn’t a “real” song. He was delighted, anyway, and I’m sure he felt good that his song was valid. Maybe he’ll return to music study on his own some day.
Student Recitals in Union.
My students, both children and adults, played at many piano and harpsichord recitals at my studio in Union in the 1980s. During several years of teaching, I kept copies of all the printed programs from recitals, and many treasured letters from parents and students.
Once, 22 of my students played a program at the Union Elementary School. Mr. Mustain, the principal, deserved many thanks for allowing piano students to play at his school in May 1981 in front of their peers.
Kids who play sports get lots of glory when their teams win, and lots of attention, win or lose – but piano students’ work is solitary, and I’ve tried to encourage them to play in public whenever they can, such as at church. Their hard behind-the-scenes work, learning to play well, deserves public attention, and they don’t have many chances to play music for their school friends because piano study isn’t a school activity. So, thanks again, Mr. Mustain, years later!
There was a covered-dish retirement party at the old Gap Mills School in September 2001 for Mr. Mustain and it was so well attended that I don’t think one more chair could have been crammed into that basement. The building is no longer used for a school because everything was moved to the new middle school in Union. I had a chance to wish Mr. Mustain a wonderful retirement and to thank him once more for his interest in the piano students who attended his school.
To be continued…
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee (1931 – 2024) built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
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