Tessa Graduates
Tessa will complete her piano study with Maria Constantine this summer, graduating from CYM after a few active years of training and enjoyment. We admire the way she has dedicated herself to practice and lessons, making music a central part of her life that she shares readily with others. We caught up with Tessa, her dad, and Maria here:
Tessa, please share an early memory of being at CYM? I remember looking at old piano books and other memorabilia from when I played piano when I was younger; we started with the C major scale during my first lesson at CYM. Over the next couple weeks, we learned about how to create Major and Minor scales using whole steps and half steps. Now I can play all of my scales and not need to think of the formula anymore!
What do you like about making music? My favorite part of making music is using my aural skills. I like playing chord progressions from songs on my left hand and using my ears to figure out the melody in the right hand. We did this for Dancing Queen, Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, Someone You Loved, and many others.
What encouragement can you give to a student who is having a hard time practicing? I have a lot of personal experience with this! Try to visualize yourself once you’ve finished what the goal is. Seeing how impressive it is will give you the power to continue practicing.
What part has your music education played in helping you manage the challenges of high school and in taking your next steps in life? As a high school student, I have a lot of extracurriculars that I am consistently a part of. I volunteer and have a job, so piano lessons have helped me learn to manage my time. I am sure to still dedicate some time to the piano weekly on top of all high school activities, homework, and exams.
Describe how you have used music to help another person get through something difficult. Music brings a lot of joy to my family, and my playing specifically brings a lot of joy to my dad. When I play song covers for him, it makes him very happy! I appreciate the great musical foundation I have received from CYM.
What are your plans after high school? My plans are to attend University of Vermont and major in biomedical engineering. My overall goal is to end up on the east coast and join the research field of biomedical engineering.
Reflections from Tessa’s dad: I admit it – I pushed music on my youngest two kids. I have always appreciated music and wish I had had the opportunity to learn to play, but there was no budget for that when I grew up. I wanted the girls to have better than I, so they started piano at age three or four. Then, between being uprooted from our home and moving into a new one, starting a new school and getting through the pandemic, there were many obstacles and set backs to the kid’s music study. Once things settled a bit, I convinced Tessa to take up the piano again – and then we found Ms. Maria. Wow, what a wonderful lady! After hearing Tessa’s lessons, I talked her sister who agreed to start too and now both of them look forward to their time each week with Maria, very much. When I listen in, I am overjoyed at how Maria engages with them, and so happy that she came in to both of their lives. Because of my work schedule, I do not get to see or hear much of her practice but Tessa has really focused on some favorite pieces, working hard on “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”. Her mastery of that song brings me to tears. Tessa will be off to college soon and I hope she will find time to play – she has a great foundation. Maria is genuinely interested in my children’s lives, which is wonderful. Thank you so much Maria.”
Reflections from Maria: Working with Tessa has been a joy. She is smart, motivated, and one of the kindest students I have ever taught. She is always open and honest about her practicing and what is giving her trouble. It took some time to establish a good flow of communication when we first started, and now we have an excellent rapport. I always look forward to working with Tessa – and her sister. They crack jokes, smile, and do not take themselves too seriously during lessons, which I love! Throughout my time teaching Tessa, we worked on piano covers from Elton John, ABBA, Billy Joel, Lewis Capaldi, and others. We also worked on classical repertoire like the Metamorphosis Set, by Philip Glass, and a few Waltzes from the Alfred Piano Method Series. We focused consistently on music theory, aural skills, and piano technique. During every lesson, Tessa warmed up using the Philipp Exercises for Independent Fingers, played scales and diminished arpeggios, completed echo patterns aurally, and then hopped into the pieces that the technique so beautifully prepared her for. Again, it has been so great to see her get more and more excited about piano during our lessons together. I truly wish her the best at UV!
Congratulations Tessa!
