FLORIDA'S GULF COAST

Six nights with airfare. Two nights each in Tampa/Ybor City, St. Petersburg and Sarasota.

To enter, click HERE.

Deadline: June 30.

Funny story: Isaac’s first piano teacher, a charming man named Vladimir, used to commute from St. Petersburg, Florida, to Washington, D.C., to teach at a community music school. Vladimir was originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. We thought this was amusing, one of those little slice-of-life details that makes you laugh. At the conservatory in St. Petersburg, Vladimir had studied with someone who’d studied with Prokofiev or Prokofiev’s teacher. At least that’s how I remember it; there was a once-removed connection to Prokofiev, one of the greats. Naturally, that made us feel closer to musical history.

Alas, when Vladimir decided to stop commuting to D.C. from St. Petersburg, Isaac was crestfallen. Be careful what you wish for, I told Isaac. Before Vladimir's told us his news, Isaac had been asking to quit. He called practice “torture.”

“You mean I will never see Vladimir again?” he asked.

“Probably not,” I answered.

If I won this trip, I would look up Vladimir. Maybe we could meet at the pier. (That's the photo herewith.)

As for Isaac’s piano study, he worked with two teachers over the next two years. Then the decision was made to stop piano study. It was becoming too negative an experience for him. I hope he finds his way back to music one day.