In This Economy

Again, things are moving at breakneck speed for me. My roster of students has jumped to an all-time high, which is fantastic, except that I can hardly keep up with them. The people at all the local music stores know me by name. Except for that one time when I tried to save money by buying used books at Music-Go-Round. I bought about ten used Level One Faber Lesson books and the college-aged guy at the checkout said, "Thanks for buying the used ones. We like to save our new inventory for teachers."

I looked over my pile of Level One Lesson books and thought, "What does he think I am doing with all of these?"

I didn't see the need to clarify with him. Instead, as I walked out of the store, teaching materials in hand, I dreamed up scenarios of what one might do with ten identical beginning piano books if not for teaching. Art? Paper airplanes?

Between frantically purchasing books and making copies of music for my nearly thirty students,
attempting to maintain a semi-regular student schedule in a shifty after-school world of hockey games, volleyball lessons, and orthodontist appointments, working at a pre-school, nannying, recording a CD, rocking the under-utilized coffee-shop singer/songwriter circuit, and applying to grad school, I am completely and utterly busy. And somehow still not saving any money.

I have no time for any more students, yet somehow I keep getting requests, and somehow I keep working them into the madness. Why not? "In this economy," someone said to me, "You might as well overwork yourself while you can!"