Driving Down Memory Lane

Tomoko likes to drive, and as she drives to the Conservatory, it is like driving through her own local history.

She starts from her woodsy neighborhood in Terra Linda, a comfortable suburb in Marin County. The weekends are her busy teaching days, which is a benefit since the weekday traffic going towards The City can be daunting. 

Driving south on Highway 101, Tomoko quickly enters the city limits of San Rafael, the largest town in the county. Were she to go right se would eventually pass near the Branson School, where her daughter graduated, and then onto San Anselmo up Butterfield Road to San Domenico School, nestled in a hilly cul-de-sac. Thereshe taught piano for over ten years.

The next towns south are Corte Mader, Greenbrae and Larkspur. Just to the right of the freeway is Gold’s Gym, which used to be a skating rink – where Tomoko took her daughter for her first skating lessons.

Then Tomoko crosses the Golden Gate Bridge. Were she to turn right, she would head to the Richmond District where she lived when she first came to the States. Were she to continue straight onto 19^th Avenue, she would arrive at the old site of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She started her studies there in 1962, and began teaching for the Conservatory three years later. Tomoko recalls the Mission-style building, and can almost hear the blend of instruments wafting through the halls.

Instead, Tomoko turns left, and drives down Van Ness to San Francisco’s cultural center with its museums, main library, and concert venues. The Conservatory moved to that part of town, partly because it had outgrown its old facility but also to be closer to the musical heart of the city. The Conservatory is now close to the San Francisco Symphony. Tomoko remembers when she entered the symphony’s music competition at a student, getting to the building by bus in the rain. Despite the physical discomfort, she won the piano performance award, and was invited to perform with the symphony.

Tomoko drives to the parking lot across the street from the Conservatory, and thinks about continuing to drive. To the east is the way to Berkeley, where her daughter trained for the Olympics. To the south is the South Bay peninsula, where she has performed in several locations.  And, of course, SFO is off the freeway: the portal where Tomoko arrived from Japan, and from where she has traveled, particularly to Europe.

Each day’s drive is a little memory, which brings a smile to Tomoko’s face.

Teaching at San Domenico

Tomoko’s teaching home has been the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. However, she also taught at San Domenico School: A K-12 independent school known for its pre-professional music preparation conservatory. The music conservatory and pavilion are located down the hill from several of the hillside campus buildings, and the music wafts up the breeze. As stated in the school’s website: “Music has been a part of San Domenico School since 1850. The Marin County based Music Conservatory offers private and group lessons in piano, strings, woodwinds, and voice at all levels. Instruction is open to students enrolled in San Domenico School as well as children who live in the surrounding Bay Area community.” Along with lessons, students have many opportunities to perform, the most reknown venue being the Vivaldi Festival.

While the lower grades are coed, San Domenico’s upper school of 9-12^th graders are all girls. Some of these students board at the school, especially international students. In that respect, Tomoko’s Japanese background provided an inside advantage for students who were far away from home.

In 1983 Tomoko joined San Domenico’s teaching faculty as a piano instructor. Tomoko’s daughter Beata also attended San Domencio for a couple of years. At that time, Faith France was the director of the program, and the wife of professional violinist and conductor Hugo Rinaldi. One of Tomoko’s San Francisco Conseratory students performed Saint Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 5, and Faith was impressed with the student – and Tomoko’s teaching.

Tomoko had a range of students,both in terms of socio-economics and musical ability. Some of them became professional in their own right. However, Tomoko treated each student fairly and equitably, matching the girls’ interests and needs to the music and skills appropriate for her musical development. Regretfully, because the number of students taking piano lessons decreased over the years, Tomoko left San Domenico in 1993. However, she still remembers the many hours of teaching, practice, and recitals that graced the halls of San Domenico.