Piano the keys to their success

Because she enjoyed playing the piano so much when she was in school at Minneota, Mayra Molina named her first-born son Amadeus.

Nine years later, Amadeus and his younger sister, Adelle, 8; both earned high ranks at the 84th annual MMTA State Competition recently and were selected to perform at the Honors Concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

"I took piano lessons from (Minneota music teacher) Mary Kay Rabaey, and so do both of my kids," said Mayra.

"She is wonderful at teaching and she makes playing the piano so enjoyable."

Mayra and her husband, Gus, are both employed by the Minneota Manor. Amadeus, 9, who will be in fifth grade this fall, has been playing piano for three years now.

He competed in the state-level competition last year but did not advance to the Honors Concert. Adelle, who will be in third grade this fall, is in her second year taking lessons. The Molina siblings competed individually in a preliminary round in Marshall and each advanced to the state competition at the University of Minnesota.

Students are given a list of piano music chosen by the MMTA.

They work with their teachers to choose a piece from that list and then work on memorization and musicality.

For his state competition, Amadeus performed "Toy Town", while Adelle played "Lullabye for a Grizzly Bear".

Competitors aren't grouped by age, but rather by how much experience they have playing a piano. Amadeus and Adelle were in the same group at the state level.

Approximately 30 of the 200-plus competitors in Molina siblings' experience group were selected for the Honors Concert. Amadeus and Adelle each received an impressive plaque with their names engraved in it for their state wins and were each selected to the Honors Concert.

The Honors Concert is for entertainment and those selected are not judged. "It's a formal event," said Mayra. "Amadeus wore a tux and Adelle wore a ball dress. We're really proud of them."

The siblings played a duet together entitled "Mountain Climbing" at the Honors Concert.

When Mayra, a 2007 Minneota graduate, was taking lessons from Ms. Rabaey, she also competed in the MMTA and was twice selected to perform in the Honors Concert.

"I love the piano, but I don't get a chance to play much anymore," she said. "My kids practice once a week at school with Mary Kay Rabaey, and then once a day at home for 15 to 30 minutes." Mayra admitted she isn't exactly sure where her two plaques are from being named to the Honors Concert years ago.

But there's little doubt she's even prouder of the two her children earned.