Celebrating 5 Years!

Friday marked the five-year anniversary of Color In My Piano!  I meant to write this post on Friday, but I have been preparing tax documents all weekend instead.  I finished gathering all of the paperwork yesterday and am bringing it to our CPA today.

Enough about the unpleasantness of taxes!  Let’s celebrate five years!!

Have you ever wondered why I chose the name “Color In My Piano?”  Here is the story:  The phrase was coined when, during my senior year of undergrad at Hope College, I was required to write a lengthy essay which reflected upon the past experiences of my life and summed up my current worldview.  Not surprisingly, much of paper focused on my beliefs about music and the role of the piano in my life.  I believe music is much more than a series of notes strung together.  It is a powerful force that can influence our emotions, encourage, heal, and energize.  In my life, I strive to keep my music-making and teaching from feeling like merely a job or a requirement.  I strive to keep “color in my piano” for both my students and myself.

In case you are interested, below is a run-down of the history of the Color In My Piano blog over the past five years.  

The First Year:

• It was on February 28, 2009 that I first conceived of this blog and wrote my first post: a welcome and brief statement of purpose.  I found my inspiration largely from Natalie Wickham’s Music Matters Blog and Susan Paradis’ Piano Teacher Resources.  My blog was initially a free wordpress blog, titled “Piano Teaching Blog” (or something similar).  At this point, I was running a successful piano studio of about 20 students out of my parent’s home, and finishing up my Bachelor’s degree in piano performance.
• In May of 2009, I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree.  Over the summer, my husband and I moved so we could attend graduate school the next year.  Unfortunately, this meant I had to “give away” all my piano students and find new ones.
• On July 9, 2009, I decided that I was enjoying blogging enough to go full swing: I came up with the title “Color In My Piano,” bought my own domain name and a year’s worth of web hosting, and gave the site a whole new look.
• In August of 2009, I started my Master’s degree in Piano Pedagogy at Central Michigan University.
• Color In My Piano continued to grow and change.  A new Printables page allowed for easier navigation through free resources, and new Facebook page gave readers a new way to stay updated.
• As of February 28, 2010 (the 1 year anniversary), Color In My Piano had a total of 18,371 views and about 50 email subscribers. The record number of page views in one day was 425 on February 11, 2010.

The Second Year:

• I continued to work on my Master’s degree and teach between 5-10 students each week.  My responsibilities as a Graduate Assistant required me to teach college level Class Piano courses to music majors and collaborate with vocalists and instrumentalists.
• Color In My Piano gained a Reading List page and a Highlights page, and begun asking monthly forum questions which quickly turned into weekly Forum Q&A’s.
• As of February 28, 2011 (the 2 year anniversary), Color In My Piano had a total 169,274 views, 177 email subscribers, and 172 readers who “liked” us on Facebook.  The record number of views in one day was 1,192 on January 11, 2011.

The Third Year:

• In May of 2011, I graduated with a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy.  Over the summer, my husband and I moved to Ohio (where he began working on another Master’s degree in Creative Writing) where I started my studio over from scratch.  I bought a piano and we started renting a charming little house with a dining room that works perfectly as my studio.  I was taught between 10-13 students each week.
• As of February 28, 2012 (the 3 year anniversary), Color In My Piano had a total of 573,423 views, 310 email subscribers, and 465 readers who “liked” us on Facebook.  The record number of views in one day was 2,576 on February 27, 2012.

The Fourth Year:

• My studio grew to 25 students.  Sometimes I miss being in the academic environment of college — but most of the time I am thrilled to be “living the dream” and running my own piano studio!  🙂
• I joined the Pinterest craze.  Quite a few of my projects have been inspired by pins from Pinterest.
• Color In My Piano added a Shop to sell resources such as my music history lapbooking curriculum.
• The Color In My Piano blog became much busier during this year:  As of February 28, 2013, Color In My Piano had a total of 1,462,464 views, nearly 800 email subscribers, and 988 Facebook “likers.”  The record number of views in one day was 4,411 on September 4, 2012.

The Fifth Year:

• My studio has grown to 35 students and is considered “full”!   My husband, Paul, finished his Master’s degree in English and was hired as the Public Relations & Communications Coordinator at a science museum for kids.  This means we are staying put in Bowling Green, Ohio — as least for now!
• As of February 28, 2014, Color In My Piano has had a total of 2,565,316 views, over 1500 email subscribers, and 1794 Facebook “likers.”  The record number of views in one day was 5,096 on August 27, 2013.

Those stats absolutely boggle my mind.  I still think of my blog as a journal of my ordinary adventures as a piano teacher.  I never imagined Color In My Piano would grow into something this big!  I am so grateful for the new contacts and friends as well as the constant inspiration I get through blogging and interacting with all of you.

So thank you, dear readers, for all of your support and for making this blog such a fun place to hang out!  Happy FIVE years!