January January 2016
www.MoonValleyTattler.com
The Gift of Piano Music
VOL 36 No. 1
B Y S U S A N M E R C E R H I N R I C H S , R E P O R T E R , T H E M O O N VA L L E Y TAT T L E R The ivories of the musical instrument long have held an allure for Moon Valley pianist, teacher and piano teacher Valerie Thomas. It’s a love she’s nourished and in which she’s flourished over the years, still playing regularly with incessant delight. It’s feelings -- emotions -- turned into musical peaks; it’s a flowing sense of wellness -- of humanity, of joy -- all themed with careful key stokes and strikes, phrasing a thought or a memory and all turned into a flow of beautiful, enticing sounds. But surprisingly, her first foray into the realms frequented by the great classical and later modernist pianists began with her accordion. Keyboards had yet to be invented and watching the Lawrence Welk helped steer her toward the instrument, too. One year, after a Yuletide-season drive with her Father around their town, the thenyoungster arrived home to a great surprise -- an upright piano. That encounter marked the start of a now decades-old relationship. And incidentally, Thomas says a niece living in California now owns that same piano and that she, Thomas, even has played it recently. Thus fortified with music, Thomas earned double-major degree in education and music from Northern Arizona University. Over the years, she’s added the role of piano teacher to her resume – a role allowing her to share her mastery and delight of the instrument with her students and the community. Today, her students of all ages, visit Thomas’ studio to learn, relearn and hone skills with the tutelage of this fine musician. Some current students stem from families whose members already have learned the joys and artisanship of music from her. Take Jackson Kohorst-Hannon, age 7, for example. His uncle took lessons from Thomas and now, from all appearances, the youngster is a natural playing the keys, too. “It inspires me to play for other people,” Jackson says. He already can play some tunes without looking at sheet music. His favorite Christmas
tune is one the fictional cartoon-and-movie characters, the Chipmunks, chirp during the holiday season “. . . because it’s all funky,” the Archway Classical Academy of North Phoenix first grader says with a grin. “He’s jumped right in,” Thomas says, adding Jackson played in Halloween recitals last year. He gave his rendition of some Christmas carols during various holiday home recitals for student’s parents, too. And Jackson’s New Year’s Eve plans included some hoped-for time playing piano with the same uncle who led him to Thomas. Jackson’s Mom, Jennifer Hannon says, “He always has been interested in music and in performing. He’s always been quite musical. He’s kind of got a knack for it.” Thomas says of Jackson and her other students, “Kids like to explore -- not just the acoustic piano, but the digital piano, too.” And about playing randomly, or so-called banging on the keys, the music teacher adds insight. “When they (any of her students) do that, they’re absorbing things . . . during those moments they’re not just hammering away, they’re learning, exploring sounds, rhythms, beat. I don’t consider it banging on the piano.” “You want them to practice what they’re supposed to, but you can also allow for that.” Young Jackson calls that part of the process his “fun time.” Another of Thomas’s students, Melak Mengesha, also age 7 and an Archway Classical Academy first grader, didn’t know Jackson attended his school until he and the lad both played piano selections during that recent Halloween recital. Thomas encourages her students to develop stage presence during recitals, allowing them to take a microphone to introduce themselves and to talk about their music. She says Melak is a natural when it comes to being on stage, performing solo or with a group. “For such a young age, he’s not afraid to help out (others on stage.) He does a really good job playing” solo or with a group. Music from the Star Wars movies is a favorite of Melak’s. He’s played piano for two years now and works on percussion-instrument skills with Thomas, too. Such versatility, the music instructor says, enables students to play a range of roles in group performances. Continued on page 3...
The Best Christmas Gift Came from the Chimney! On Christmas Eve, Adrienne’s daughter, Leslie, arrived about four in the afternoon, with her new cat. She and the cat had met on the street, and he was a large, older cat with the “Wisdom of the Night” in his eyes. They bonded and she took him in after a few days. Finally out of the cat carrier after a 5 hour ride, he ran around the house looking for something, but we didn’t figure it out until midday Christmas. He ran down the hall, meowed at the door to the green room, and then sniffed his way back to the great room still in search of something. Leslie went into the guest room, Adrienne went into her office, and I was left standing in the center of the great room watching the cat. I turned around to see something on the TV, and heard a slight noise around the fireplace, but when I turned back around there was nothing out of place. While trying to identify what made the sound, Leslie came back, asking, “Where’s my boy?” “He was just over there near the corner,” I replied.
BY PETER BURT
“I don’t see him!” The cat had totally disappeared in a flash. Adrienne came back and we started to search with more detail, yet still no cat after 20 minutes. Every bed looked under and every nook and cranny checked again. I even took the flashlight and looked up the chimney, but the 3 ½” opening seemed far too narrow for the cat to get through, plus he’d have to jump straight up and avoid the flames of the burning fire. I had turned off the gas fire just in case he had made it up to the soot shelf above the firebox. I knew he could NOT get up the chimney because there was nothing to claw going up. It was an almost sleepless night for all of us. Just after 1 a.m. Adrienne called me to say there still was no cat. Over and over it seemed to me the only place the cat could have gone so quickly was up the fireplace, fire or not. “I can’t get over thinking the cat is sitting up in the chimney,” I told Adrienne. “I agree! Can you look?” Adrienne asked. I got my angle mirror, but soon realized I had to get a light up above the shelf edge. I modified a clip-on light and slipped it up over the ledge. With the mirror, I looked around, finally spotting him in the far left corner! He looked at the mirror, then the light, moving only his eyes. I couldn’t see the rest of him, but there he was! “I think I should call the fire department,” Continued on page 3...