With the current economic situation, I find it interesting to learn how many businesses are cyclical. One that I never thought about, though, is teaching piano, and this cycle is an opportunity for anyone who wants to learn to play the piano.
When Jean Weimer explains the cycle though, it makes such obvious sense. Jean is a piano teacher in Crownsville, and she has a few openings for students now just because of the cycle. Actually, Jean is more than a teacher. She’s a woman who has lived music, its performance, and teaching all her life.
Jean’s grandfather was a concert pianist. Her mother was an accomplished pianist who didn’t want to perform. She was, instead, a piano teacher. Jean grew up in a house with students coming and going all the time.
Jean listened to her mother teach. She wanted to take lessons and did take from her mother for a couple of years. Back then (in the 1950′s) the Baltimore area had many schools of music. Jean studied at the school of a friend, a Mr. Freitag, for ten years enabling her to receive a teacher certificate. She went on to student teach at age 19. While at a Baltimore community college, she fell in love, got married, and had children. She didn’t take to teach again until she had a four year old.
She isn’t only a piano teacher. Jean has taught accordion. Popular when she was in music school, Jean had an accordion from across the ocean ready to assemble. Her treasure was red and white and heavy. She had to lug it to school for recital days. Still it helped her learn chord structure that helped when she began playing chord organs.
Jean knew a little bit about 14 year old boys, too. She taught guitar to this age group – most of whom feel that they are going to be major guitarists.
Jean taught in Crofton for twenty-two years, and then moved to Crownsville. She’s taught or ten years here. This history brings me back to the cyclical part of her work.
Ideally, she begins with students at the age of 6 or 7. She teaches in the classical style occasionally incorporating a popular piece to reward or motivate. Many of her students continue with their piano studies until high school activities compete or their time. With the need to juggle a busy schedule, piano lessons get dropped except by those planning a college major in music.
And that’s how the cycle creates openings in Jean’s teaching schedule. Her teenagers move on. They move on, but they do not forget her. She runs into them around town and they catch up. They’re married and have children, the oldest of whom is taking piano lessons. It gives Jean a warm feeling to know that they carry with them a love of music and are passing it on.
She loves her students. As she points out, “When you spend that much time together, you bond.” She’s been a confidant, a grandmother figure. Sadly, she has even had to mourn students lost to traffic accidents – yet another cycle.
She knows how hard her students work. They are dedicated and respectful. Now she understands how her mother enjoyed teaching and why she never stopped.
Her recitals are wonderful. When the children have work so hard, they are proud of themselves, and their parents are proud. Sometime a pre-recital takes place over the phone as with a little boy who loved playing an Indian song with a strong beat along with the Ode to Joy. When his grandmother heard these pieces on the other end of the phone, she made up her mind that she wanted to come to the real thing.
So, the cycle has given Jean openings for a few more students. Though her ideal age is six or seven, she will take adults. It seems we adults have a little trouble with the recital part though.
You can contact Jean at 410.923.2626. If you get the answering machine, just leave a message and your contact information.
By the way, her mom is still teaching. When she moved to the senior housing, they sold the family piano. Mom got a keyboard and managed to pick up a few students. Teaching is in the blood – she’ll never stop. Her daughter intends to keep going, too.