Hello friends!

It’s been a hectic year between producing a teaser video for my educational kids series about women composers and, well, getting married this summer! Our wedding ceremony was a veritable recital of beautiful music by women, performed by two talented friends of mine: pianist Agustin Muriago and violinist Hannah Schendel. Now, I’m looking ahead to the fall and I’m excited to get organized for the next year of piano teaching.

Gardner Piano Studio has also had a busy year. First, four of our students made it all the way through the preliminary and final rounds of the MMTA State Piano Contest. They each performed in the State Honors Concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center in June. It was an exciting night and I had fun volunteering backstage with fellow music teachers. I’m so proud of my students who worked hard to perform in this special event - a couple of them on very short notice!

We also had a wonderful end of year studio recital at the new Schmitt Music Auditorium in Bloomington. Students performed works by Marianne Martinez, Germaine Tailleferre, Beethoven, Melody Bober, C. P. E. Bach, Carl Czerny and more.

Accepting new students!

Next up is getting ready for fall scheduling, performance opportunities and repertoire planning. I’m also excited to serve as a judge for the SPPTA Concerto Competition this December and to continue adjudicating for MTNA’s ongoing eFestival.

Finally, I’m happy to say that after a long waitlist period, Gardner Piano Studio is currently accepting new students. Please get in touch soon if you’re interested in setting up lessons for the fall session. (You can do this through the contact form.) Lessons are available at various lengths and for students at all ages and levels, both in-person and on Zoom.

Enjoy these final weeks of summer, and happy practicing!

Lillie