One of the most remarkable memories to mend the moments of my past with the possibilities for the future has been the significance of music – a muse that matters more than most. 

Through the years, I have met my most memorable colleagues and friends through music. 

On January 16, you will meet Kathy Clark, my college roommate.  It’s no mystery to me that our appreciation for music meant we remained friends for over 40 years past the time we shared a bunk bed in the off-campus housing at Millersville University. 

I finished my B.S. in Art Education while Kathy finalized her Bachelors in English.  Kathy landed a job in journalism as a writer for her hometown newspaper.  I moved to a new town to teach art to High School students.   A few years later, I ended up in Kathy’s hometown as I accepted a full time Elementary Art teaching position in a nearby school district. 

In the early 1990s, I founded a private art school in parallel with online sales of music-themed products. The ceramic pottery painting, art gallery and music ensemble promotion was successful into the mid-2000s. The addition of a coffeehouse was a fascinating addition to the mix of muses.   My arts career abruptly ended in 2011.   By 2016, I re-invented myself as an “artisan baker” in a new town/state.        

Kathy began working in the Social Services where she continued for nearly 35 years.   Though our careers and location changed – our friendship remained. 

A couple years ago, I started a podcast: Mind the Muse.   While chatting on the phone with Kathy covering a myriad of topics, we eventually circled ‘round to music.  That’s when she began describing the piano that she purchased a few years earlier.   Kathy’s journalistic description prompted me to ask her to be my next podcast guest and share her story of her past, present, and piano.