This past Saturday, I was asked to serve as a judge for a piano scholarship competition for a local non-profit organization. This marked my fourth year as a judge, but this year, I was more reflective as I was listening to the kids perform. I have had many wonderful teachers over the years and many stand out as being very influential. This year, two of those teachers passed on and I would like to honor them both here.
I was sort of an initial failure with my piano lessons. Poor Mrs. Sewell did her best, but was never able to successfully wean me off of using the fingering (instead of learning to read the notes). By the time I was in sixth grade, I was becoming more frustrated by not being able to read music. My elementary music teacher in Neosho, Missouri, Mrs. Clanton, suggested that I take piano lessons from this fantastic teacher in Joplin. I had the rare opportunity to study piano with a local legend (although, I had no idea at the time). Mrs. Mary Harutun help unlock the "mystery" of written music and whet my appetite for performance. I remember fondly the Saturday evening recitals and the piano competitions. Mrs. Harutun lived to the ripe old age of 98. What an inspiration she was!
This is Mrs. Harutun sitting as she looked at countless lessons. This is the piano we took our lessons as well as the piano we used for the Saturday evening recitals. 
I was a music education major at Missouri Southern State University (it was still Missouri Southern State College when I was attending). I was required to take private piano lessons for my major, so I did some investigating and discovered a gifted teacher who was on staff at Ozark Bible College in Joplin, Missouri. I was a student of Tacille King for only a short while, but in that short amount of time, she had made such an impression on me, I was never the same. She taught me that there was no pleasure in being mediocre. She also taught me that musicians will "rise to the occasion" and do what is needed for the art. She also unlocked the mystery of playing without tension and playing with the mind fully engaged (instead of letting it go on "auto pilot"). I had an opportunity to take a lesson 3 or 4 years ago with her while I was visiting from California--it was so much fun and so helpful.
This picture was taken a few short years ago while I was visiting the family in Joplin. I believe this was after a holiday performance at College Heights Christian Church. 
Both ladies are and will continue to be sorely missed, but they will live on in the many, many hearts of those they influenced. The biggest tribute I can make to honor their memories is to pass on what I have learned to my own students. May they both rest in peace.
