Is That Your Real Name??

Last night my husband and I went out to dinner at a quiet and lovely place in the downtown area of our city. One of my sweet piano students had given me a gift certificate to this particular restaurant for Christmas, so we decided to use it to pay for our dinner. The gift certificate was written to “Mrs. Melody”, and the cashier smiled and said how cute it was that the gift certificate actually said “Mrs. Melody” rather than using my first and last name. I told her one of my piano students had given it to me. She quickly asked, “Is that your real name?”, thinking I was using “Mrs. Melody” as a “piano teacher stage name” of sorts. “Yes, this is my real name,” I smiled. Believe it or not, she is not the first person to ask if I made it up!

I enjoy having a musical name because it often creates an easy topic of conversation, especially with those who are prospective additions to my studio. For my young beginners, when they learn what a melody is, they always look up at me from the piano bench with huge smiles on their faces!

Do any of you have stories about given names that match/complement your professional activities and/or hobbies? If so, I’d love to hear them!