Mary Fox has played piano ever since she was a young girl. She said her piano teacher taught her everything she knows. When she was presented with the opportunity to become a teacher herself, it was too good for her to pass up.
A friend asked Mary if she would be interested in taking over his piano students. “The opportunity fell in my lap, so it wasn’t something I was pursuing,” said Mary Fox. “I knew it was an opportunity I had to take, and it gave me the option to stay at home with my kids.”
Thus, her business began in 1991 where she taught 20 students piano from her home in SE Portland.
Last month, Mary held her piano recital at Warner Pacific University. This was the second consecutive year that she has used WPU’s facilities for the recital. In the past, her recitals have been held at Community Music Center and Classic Pianos in Portland. However, she had been looking for a place to accommodate size with her growing business and has been very happy with holding the recitals at Warner Pacific.
At the recital, 29 out of her 38 students performed. She teaches students from the age of eight to adults. She also teaches four students virtually; two from Bellingham, WA and two from Africa. Each student performed at least two pieces; including Debussy’s Clair de Lune, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, and pieces from Lord of the Rings and Star Wars to name a few.
Mary has been acquainted with the Warner Pacific community since her daughter, Jessica Fox, attended and graduated in 2001.
For Mary, her job is not just teaching music and seeing a student succeed. “It’s about relationships and being a role model in my student’s lives and encouraging and showing them that hard work in life can bring results,” Mary said. “Connecting with these kids is so wonderful.”
“I love what I do, and I don’t see retirement as something I’m retiring for,” she continued. “This is so much more than a job, it’s relationship building.”