by Kathy Morrison, November 16, 2018
Today (right now) we are traveling to Grandmother’s house for
Thanksgiving day. The scenery is just beautiful and I am thankful
for time with my family and no distractions. Along the way I have
made a few discoveries.
First, XM satellite radio is really great for a roadtrip. But my iPod is feeling a little left out.
Second, gas is only $1.47 a gallon just outside of Lima, Ohio.
Next Starbucks makes great iced tea. Who knew?
And I have just learned how to blog from my iPhone!! That is so cool.
There is only one question left to ask: “Are we there yet?”
Note: This article above was originally published on November 26, 2008 as my family was driving from Pittsburgh to North Webster, IN to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. That November I had just started blogging. Since then so much has changed, not only for my family but also at our music school.
In the fall of 2008, my oldest daughter was starting high school. Since then she graduated from college, worked for our school for 2 years and now lives and works in Columbus, Ohio.
Our youngest daughter was only in 4th grade that fall of ’08. Now she is a Sophomore at Ohio University studying Interior Architecture.
My parents now live in Tennessee, so there’s rarely snow on the ground at Thanksgiving these days.
In recent years, we started hosting Thanksgiving at our home inviting our neighbors and friends to fill the table.
I’m feeling a sense of wonder as I reflect on the changes our school has experienced over the last 10 years.
In 2008, we started offering piano lessons in Mt. Lebanon with 1 teacher. Now we offer lessons at 4 locations on a variety of instruments with nearly 2 dozen teachers bringing their love of music to our students.
Our Kindermusik team has grown from 4 to 12 teachers. Their love of teaching children and mastery in the classroom led our school to become the largest Kindermusik program in the US for the last 2 years.
While all of this growth is significant and super important to our mission of changing the world through music, my thoughts keeps going to a different place. I am thankful for so many, many things. If I were to create an actual paper list, it would take several pages. Today, I will list just five.
My heart is filled with gratitude and Thanksgiving for these things:
1) My daughters – they are my heart. I love them so. My girls are the reason we started attending Kindermusik in SC and the reason I started teaching Kindermusik. They are a big part of why I started the program when we moved to Pittsburgh in 2004. Later, the goal of the music school was to pay for college so that they could fulfill their dreams the way music is fulfilling mine.
2) My husband, Rob. After 27 years of marriage, every day is still a fun adventure and I love him so. He has supported me in every way through the years. Did you know he built out our first studio in Mt. Lebanon turning an old basement into a place where we would start to grow roots? Rob’s gift for design/branding, visual arts, and carpentry have proven a HUGE help to our school. He’s a problem solver. It doesn’t matter what I’m facing, he’s right there helping me figure it out.
3) My team. One of the best surprises along the way has been the joy of building a team of people who love this work. Not only are they sharing their love of music and their skills with students and families, but they are a gift to me. It turns out that I LOVE team building and teamwork! Together we are building something special here at Kathy’s Music.
4) Our families. It is a joy to get to know the families that walk through our doors. It is a privilege to teach their children in Kindermusik classes or their students in lessons. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of their lives in this way. My heart is so full as I see students in high school and college that walked through our doors in the early days. Last weekend, I lost count of the number of Kindermusik kids who are now part of our lesson program. I love knowing their story and seeing how their love of music is developing confidence while leading to mastery.
5) The music. We all have our own story of how music has impacted our lives. It brings people together, creating bonds and connections unlike any other. I love making music, teaching music, sharing music, creating music, listening to music, and offering music. My life would be unrecognizable without it. I am thankful for the opportunity to live and work in a place where music is valued by so many people in such a variety of ways.
Happy Thanksgiving! May your family enjoy a special holiday this season and may it include music.
My girls – Thanksgiving 2008.
Our family – Thanksgiving 2017
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