Maria Rosales has been teaching me since October 2020. She has been a rock for me through all the trials of life during the pandemic, and everything that life has thrown my way since then. She is exactly the teacher I needed, at exactly the right time. Isn’t it funny how it often works out like this? Again, I quote ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear’. Maria is accepting of my shortcomings, knowing that I always put in my best effort. She understands that life as an adult is busy and challenging, and she never makes me feel guilty for not having practiced as much as I would like. (I feel I should mention for any students or parents out there… this means 1 hour of practice a day some days instead of 3; not that I don’t practice😅). She encourages me to play for other teachers, which is important, given all the wonderful opportunities that are available. No matter how down or tired I am going into our lessons, I always leave feeling hopeful, inspired and excited to get back on track! I wouldn’t have made such progress without Maria, especially through such difficult times.
I met Maria (left) at Peel Music Academy nearly 15 years ago. Some of the teachers at the school I never met, because everyone was always busy teaching in their own classrooms. One day I arrived quite early, and heard Rachmaninoff pouring through the walls like I’d never heard before. I had to go check it out! Sure enough, it was Maria. She was so casual about her skills, as if she were nothing special. Oh, how wrong she was!! I learned later that she had studied in two famous conservatories in Russia. So, of course she didn’t think she was anything special- she had studied with and been surrounded by some of the most talented pianists in the world! Over there, her skills may have been mediocre. But here, in Canada… I had never heard anything quite like it so up close and personal.
From then on, I went to work a little early on the days Maria was teaching, in hopes that I would be lucky enough to listen to her again. 🥰
Maria was born in Mexico City. She grew up in a musical family, so music was always a huge part of her life. She has 4 brothers and a sister, all of whom grew up playing instruments. Everyone played at least a little bit of piano. There was also clarinet, violin, faggot, trumpet, flute and saxophone. Practice time was often fought for, ending in multiple instruments practicing different music simultaneously. There’s a photograph from her childhood, where all the kids are practicing their own instruments while watching television! 😂
More to follow about Maria in next week’s blog post! Her musical and educational background are quite interesting, so I do hope you tune in to check it out 😊
I know I’ve already posted this link, but for those of you who missed it (or just want to check it out again), here is the work she helped me accomplish last school year. We’re working on another big one this year, too! Just trying to get my home life organized since the move so that I can devote the time and energy I need to accomplish it.
Thanks you, Maria! You’ve stuck by me through all of the ups and downs, and I know you’ll help me pull off another good video this year! ❤️❤️❤️