How the Piano Workshop at Chester is "Keeping the Music Playing" through Covid-19, plus our holiday gift giving ideas!

Who would have thought this would have lasted this long? Ten years from now, many of our students (who will be a lot more grown up by then) will look back and say, “Remember when schools were closed and we were in lockdown during Covid and still had piano and music lessons every week? And we had our parents take videos of us for a summer and winter virtual recital?” The one constant we found in many of our students lives, when all after school activities were either canceled or heavily limited, was their weekly online music lesson. No dance classes, no orchestra or band rehearsals, no soccer practice or swim practice. Students began to take their own responsibility, prepare their music for their lesson and many times even a last minute practice before they had to log onto a zoom or Skype lesson with their teacher. We are so proud of all of you, and honor all of the parents as well, for your support during these times.

Even when we restarted in-person lessons on a selective and limited basis, making sure all protocols were met (wearing masks, sanitizing hands, wiping down pianos and surfaces before and after each lesson, etc.), parents have been very proactive in notifying us if their child had a potential exposure, opting to switch to online for a week or two to quarantine. It really came down to the flexibility, care, and hard work of our teachers to be able to keep up with their students, switching back and forth from online to in person as needed.

I can see from our recent recital videos that students practiced more: They played better and they are thriving with their music. While nothing beats in-person music lessons whether in piano, guitar, voice, violin, flute or even drums, the students that kept up with their lessons will show growth and maturity. Music lessons became a constant during a time of unknowing, stress, and chaos in the world.

We want to wish all of our families and students a happy, healthy and safe holiday season. On that note:

If you are looking for any last minute gifts for your music lover, please check out our NEW holiday gift guide!