From the "If Mommie Dearest taught piano" files and Yahoo! News

Sudiegirl sez:

I was never a good piano player, EVER, and I'm sure many of my piano teachers wanted to slam the lid on my fingers just to get me to STOP, but something tells me this particular teacher has some issues that stretch far beyond that. The picture of "Mommie Dearest" is inserted to just illustrate the state of mind I think this broad was in. And now, the usual snottiness...

Pianist Sues Music Teacher After Dispute
1 hour, 19 minutes ago

BRIDGETON, N.J. - A 16-year-old pianist is suing his teacher, claiming she confronted him on stage during a Carnegie Hall competition and slammed the keyboard cover on his fingers as they argued over what piece he would play. (OW!)

Bryan O'Lone of Vineland also claims that Yalena Ivanov publicly berated him during the Young Pianist Competition of New Jersey event, stripped him of a $350 prize he had earned at an earlier organization event and barred him from taking part in a trip to a musical festival in Italy. (What a nice lady...NOT!)

The teen and his family are seeking unspecified damages and a public apology from Ivanov, who founded the YPCNJ. (Hope they included the optional "boot-licking" codicil.)

The lawsuit, filed July 1 in state Superior Court in Cumberland County, also names Lana Ivanov, the teacher's daughter and director of the event, and the YPCNJ as defendants. (This should get interesting...I wonder how many of MY former music teachers have read this article? I have a choral director from high school I have a beef with.)

According to the lawsuit, the incident stemmed from O'Lone's decision to play Chopin's Scherzo No. 2, which he had practiced for the performance. (Chopin can be pretty tough...I'm impressed with this kid!)

When he arrived at the June 12 event, O'Lone said, he learned that the program had him listed as performing Beethoven's "Pathetique." When he told Lana Ivanov about the discrepancy, she allegedly told him he would have to perform the Beethoven. (Was she wearing an SS uniform?)

"They said I had to play it and I was bewildered by the whole thing," O'Lone told The Press of Atlantic City. "What was the big deal? They change things like that all the time." (Sounds logical to me!)

O'Lone said a recital judge told him he could play what he wanted, so he chose to play the Chopin. After a few notes, Yalena Ivanov came on stage and accosted him in front of the crowd of 300, according to the suit. (Not cool...not at all!)

The Young Pianist Competition's board said O'Lone was assigned the Beethoven by Yalena Ivanov - who chose all music to be played - and was rejected when he asked for permission to play Chopin. He practiced the Beethoven during rehearsal but when he got on stage, he told the crowd the program contained a misprint and that he would be playing Chopin, the group said in a statement released Thursday by Lana Ivanov. (That seems a little funny to me...most music teachers I've had have been quite democratic with the selection of music. What's left out here is whether the competition required particular pieces to be played, or if it was just the teacher's tweakiness. Plus, the teacher's daughter runs the competition? Wouldn't it be unethical for her students to compete in the first place?)

"Mrs. Ivanov lowered the lid slightly (while holding it in her hands) so he could not continue to play and asked him to leave the stage," the board said. (Why didn't they just close the curtain? Or was the curtain guy unavailable?)

After that, the boy's family screamed profanities at Yalena Ivanov while she was on stage, according to YPCNJ, which said the Ivanovs believe the suit will be dismissed. (I'm not sure it will be. These folks sound pretty tenacious.

Sudiegirl's final opinion?

This is why I don't want to teach.

Sorry, but true.