b'Matters heart of thematterThingsthat Matter Since 1990 Hoping for aFeaturing Local People, Places and PUBLISHER Piano Revival& EDITOR IN CHIEFEllen Donker My New Years resolution may start todaySOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER BY ELLEN DONKERRachael EntineADVERTISING CONSULTANTSRene ConlonH. Leslie GilmanRyan NishAmy PowerASSOCIATE EDITORAnne MandellCOPY EDITORS M ya hus- rstillIShestartedwiththebook Charles HammerTia Swansonusedinthirdgrade:John CONTRIBUTORS b n dThompsons Easiest Piano Course. Brian Glaser n e v e Itbelongedtomysisterbefore Malia Rulon Herman gottheit was passed on to me. The book Mason Levinson chancecontainsherwarnings,daring Donny Levit totakeanyonebutherselftotouchthebook.It music lessons. Growing up, he desper- also has notes from our piano teacher, Mrs. ately wanted to play the drums, but his fatherSkinn. The stars she gave us are still on each wouldnt entertain the idea. When it was time to choosepage: gold and silver held the highest rank an instrument in elementary school, his parents wouldntwhile the blues and greens probably meant we pay for the rental. Either they didnt have the money or itplayed the pieces adequately. Ill have to ask Mad-seemed excessive to them. The memory still stings. eline if shell reward her father with stickers. Those with the Thats probably why Rob has always said he has no mu- New York Rangers or Mets might incentivize him.Please address all correspondence to: sical talent. But my daughter, Madeline, and I disagree.Im happy to see the piano being used. Its a beauti-Visual Impact Advertising, Inc. Rob can sing in tune. When he and I belt out an im- ful baby grand that I bought more than 15 years ago in P.O. Box 198 promptu duet, I often slide into harmony while he keepsthe hopes that I would revisit the waltzes and sonatas and Maplewood, NJ 07040 the melody going. He says he doesnt really hear that Imminuets I had learned decades before. Thanks to muscle 973-763-4900 singing anything different than he is. memory, I can still play some of them haltingly. But my mattersmagazine.comI was the lucky one who got piano and violin lessons.best intentions never materialized. It saddens me to see this info@mattersmagazine.com I made sure all three of our kids took up instruments ingorgeous instrument lay idle. Matters Magazine is owned and publishedschool and sang in the junior choir at church. Ill neverMadeline and I sometimes sit at the piano with our by Visual Impact Advertising, Inc., P.O.forget when they got recorders in third grade and playedbooks, The Best of the Seventies and The Disney Collection Box 198, Maplewood, NJ 07040. Mattersthem together in the living room. Their selections wereor our church hymnal to which she sings soprano and I Magazine is free, with editions direct mailed 7 times a year to the residents of MaplewoodHot Cross Buns and Turn the Beat Around, whichcroak out the alto part. But my sight reading is awful. Each and South Orange and distributed to busi- only required them to know three notes. It was so cute andsong is so full of starts and stops that after a while we lose nesses and surrounding communities total-ing 16,000. Subscriptions are available tofunny and ear splitting that I laughed and cried all at theour steam and revert to singing acapella. Oh, how I wish I non-residents for $30 (U.S.), $40 (Foreign)same time. We had a similar concert a few years later whencould be the pianist who sits down and reels off pieces ef-annually. No part of the publication may bethey moved on to the trombone, trumpet and flute. Byfortlessly.reprinted or otherwise reproduced without writtenpermissionfromVisualImpactthen they had learned to keep time with their feetloudly. Of course, its not too late. I could make another reso-Advertising, Inc. A few weeks ago, Madeline felt it was time to finallylution for 2024 to practice in earnest and learn a few new CIRCULATION VERIFIED BY give Rob his due and started him on piano lessons. Al- pieces. Or I could wait for Rob to advance sufficiently so we U.S. POSTAL RECEIPTS. thoughshedoesntconsiderherselfagreatpianist(thecan play some simple duets. All I want is to do good by my READ & RECYCLE flute is more her instrument), she is a fourth grade teacherpiano while Rob gets some satisfaction from making music. and knows how to keep concepts simple and teachable.This just may be the year. 8/ matters magazine / winter 2024'