How do you spend your money?

Tomoko’s family invested money in both an organ and piano lessons for their children. Tomoko has continued that investment in her own pianos, and she lauds those who spend valuable funds on music for their families.

Tomoko asserts: “People who want piano are not average already.” She contends: “They don’t have to be rich, but they tend to be intelligent. They sacrifice to pay for lessons as well.” She continues, “Spending money on music is not like a vacation. Piano lessons are education. There is an investment and a responsibility." 

Therefore, Tomoko urges families to spend their money wisely. When it comes to piano teachers, she advises: “Check out the requirements for piano lessons. Find out about the teacher’s reputation. Try different teachers. There is no perfect teacher; it’s a matter of match between the teacher and the student.” She says to them: “You need to be prepared. Piano lessons and performance is not like other hobbies. You need to dedicate time every day.” 

Fiscal advice also applies to pianos. Tomoko encourages parents: “Go to a music store that sells pianos, and have the staff talk about, and demonstrate, the piano – and the pieces of music to choose from.” Tomoko knows that pianos can be expensive. “Be fussy in choosing the instrument,” she assets. “You need to have keen hearing and sensitivity to the touch.” Tomoko remembers when she bought her 1981 Steinway. “It was expensive, but it was an investment in my career.”

Spending Money Wisely

Tomoko’s grew up in a Japanese middle class family. The arts were highly valued, especially in hard times, as materialism loses its importance. Tomoko points out, “Your music is your own; no one can steal your heart.” Before the war, they couldn’t afford to buy a piano because there was a tax on such instruments. But during the war, that tax went away, and one of Tomoko’s neighbors sold their organ to Tomoko’s family because they needed money to survive.

The family started paying lessons just for Tomoko’s older brother, and Tomoko began her playing by learning from him. When she ultimately got lessons herself, Tomoko practiced very seriously, knowing their value. This dedication was made particularly concrete in that all the piano students had to wait their turn on the weekend for their private time with the piano instructor. Tomoko remembers: “And if the lesson didn’t go well, the teacher would say, ‘Shut the book. Go home.’ This kept us on our toes.”

To this day, Tomoko contends that learning how to play the piano requires dedication of time and money. She says, “People who want a piano don’t have to be rich, but they are intelligent, and are willing to sacrifice to pay.” Tomoko continues, “Owning and playing the piano is not like spending money on a vacation; it requires responsibility.” 

Tomoko feels that way about lessons. The Conservatory offers grants to students and families who cannot pay the full price, but they still pay something. “They need to value learning enough that they are willing to sacrifice some other activity or thing in order to learn.” Tomoko actually sees an advantage of having less income; ““If you have a lot of money, you don’t have to try. There’s no challenge.” 

And the worth of music, the pride in playing the piano well? Priceless!

Inner Riches

Money does not make the musician; hard work, dedication, and persistence do. And other people will recognize that effort. You can see that in Tomoko’s early professional life.

Money was tight for Tomoko when she arrived in San Francisco as a young Conservatory piano student.  She lived with a widow, taking partial care of the widow lieu of rent. She taught piano to the children of Japanese families, sometimes going to their homes. When Tomoko was fearful that she would not have the money to continue at the Conservatory, she found out that a board member paid her tuition.

As a student, Tomoko tried for a San Francisco Foundation award that would help finance her studies. Tomoko remembers, “ That morning was rainy, and I had only one dollar, not even enough to take a taxi.” Instead, Tomoko took a bus, holding her umbrella to keep her nice outfit dry. She thought to herself: “I am going to make it.” When she got to the auditorium, a competitor arrived in a Cadillac, and someone held out an umbrella over her head. After Tomoko played the required selection, the judges liked her performance so much that they asked her to play another solo piece. The competition took all day, and Tomoko had to go home alone on the bus at 8pm, when there were few buses at that hour. Two days later she found out that she won.

Tomoko won several other awards, and has continued to make money through her piano teaching and performance over the years. But it has been her love of music and people that have been the main driving forces for her own dedication.  Tomoko truly has vast inner riches.