Last Thursday was J's final lesson with me!
Although he only took lessons for three weeks during his stay in Japan, it was truly a pleasure to teach him.
Since J usually speaks French, taking piano lessons in English, returning to piano after a few months away, and learning music theory that he had not studied before must have been quite challenging. He worked very hard, and I am very proud of his efforts.
One of the highlights was learning a piece from his favorite Studio Ghibli films. This time, he learned "Sanpo" from My Neighbor Totoro, and both J and his father were delighted when he was able to play it.
At the final lesson, I gave him this duet collection and a letter as a farewell gift.
Interestingly, a revised edition of this book is being released this month, and by last month, it had already become very difficult to find.
I had almost given up looking for it when I happened to visit the Kawai Umeda Store for a Piano Adventures seminar.
To my surprise, they had exactly one copy left! I felt very lucky to find it.
This duet collection includes many beautiful Studio Ghibli pieces, such as "Days Long Gone" from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,
"The Hill of Wind" from Kiki's Delivery Service, and "Carrying You" from Castle in the Sky. Because of this, J will be able to continue enjoying these duets with his piano
teacher after returning to Switzerland.
His father told me,
"This book will remind us of our time in Kyoto and of your lessons. Thank you very much. We would love to come back when we visit Kyoto again."
His words meant a great deal to me.
The whole family was wonderful, and teaching J was a truly enjoyable experience.
They also gave me some Swiss chocolate, which was delicious! 🍫
Finally, we took a commemorative photo together (with permission, of course).
I hope J will continue to enjoy playing the piano in Switzerland, and I wish him all the best in his musical journey! 🤗
