A Trip To The Studio

No, I did not go to a TV studio. This afternoon, two of my kids and I traveled to "studio class" at the studio of their piano teacher. As a "working most of the time" parent, I have generally counted on teachers to come to me (or at least pretty close). I doubt that my children would have learned piano had they needed to travel each week for the lessons. But several times a year, our teacher hosts groups of students at her home for an hour in which the kids play for each other and discuss music and technique. For us, the event requires a long train ride or a fairly substantial car trip, and generally some waiting around, as the kids are in different age/skill groups. It can be a challenging weekend commitment, to be sure. But today, with no other major events on our calendar, we headed off to the studio.
 
In the end, the roads and traffic were kind, each kid had an "adventure with mom" during the other's studio time, and both children had the opportunity to play their current piano pieces in someplace other than home. Yes, it took a chunk out of our day--travel and waiting do that. However, after  years of the convenience of lessons at home, was it really so terrible a trade-off? I don't think so.
 
Sometimes it takes something that is a little difficult to remind you how easy you have it. For a very long time, our piano teacher has been coming to our home, adjusting to whatever schedule-altering activities we add on, and teaching our kids piano (not to mention the discipline that comes with it). Whether a sitter or I (when I was out of work) has opened the door to her, she has arrived each week--for years--prepared to teach sometimes eager, sometimes tired pupils, who, I remind myself, would never have learned piano had the lessons required weekly travel. We just couldn't have done it.
 
We won't always be available for studio class, and going to it might never be easy, but like most things in life, it is a trade-off--an exchange for something else that we might otherwise take for granted. Because of a teacher willing to accommodate working parents and busy kids, I have children who will have at least some piano ability for the rest of their lives. As far as I'm concerned, a bit of a trip and an hour of waiting a few times a year are well worth it.