Mrs. Kiffmeyer, My Piano Teacher

She changed my life using strings, hammers, and keys

Mrs. Kiffmeyer and I just prior to a performance— Photo by Nancy Bronson

I walked up the driveway to the top of a small hill in a nice, Minnesotan neighborhood every Thursday afternoon for piano lessons. When I reached the top and opened the front door, I slipped into another world.

A curtain drew back from my black-and-white movie and allowed me to enter a…