February 27, 2026 was a historic day for piano teachers in Washington State. Eleven teachers met up early in the morning at the Legislative Building in Olympia to attend the first reading of Senate Resolution 8698, recognizing the contribution of piano teachers to the music education of Washington State. This resolution was jointly sponsored by 15 Senators, close to one-third of the entire Senate. The text of this poetic resolution was written by our very own Ryan Worswick: it points out the special relationships between us, our mentors and students, as well as the responsibilities we shoulder to build a music community.
We first met with Senator Steve Conway (D-Tacoma), the principal sponsor of the resolution and was given a tour of the Senate Floor. We presented him a “Champion of Music Education” award, to thank him for looking out for the interests of music teachers in this legislative session, and to congratulate him on his retirement. Lois Lorraine Crawford Conway (1913-2004), Senator Conway’s mom, was a piano teacher for 50+ years in Pendleton, OR and served as an adjudicator for the National Guild of Piano Teachers in the 90’s. Senator Conway fondly remembers listening to piano lessons at home as a child.
After we were seated in the Senate Chamber Gallery, we were all taken by surprise as Senators one after another stood up to describe their personal experience with piano lessons or mentioned family members who are piano teachers. For twenty minutes everyone reminisced about their music experience: there was no party divide; there was no Eastern vs. Western Washington.
According to Senator Conway, the idea of sponsoring a resolution to recognize piano teachers first came to him after attending his granddaughters’ Christmas recital, organized by our very own Chris VanBuskirk of the Puyallup Valley Chapter.
Suddenly I realized how closely we are all connected to each other and to our legislators.
“I can’t help but feel, as I think about this, the great role the piano teachers are playing in this state in educating our young people to the beauty of music, the love of music, a universal language that unifies us and brings all of us together,” said Senator Conway.
“Mrs. Reeves was my piano teacher, she was two blocks away, so I get to walk to her house to play the piano,” said Senator Claire Wilson (D-Auburn). “I also hope folks remember John Thompson’s Modern Course for Piano. It was that red book – you graduated from the first grade book to the second grade book, to the third grade book, and boy, you felt like you really nailed it!”
“My daughter’s husband’s mother is a piano teacher in Vancouver, America’s Vancouver,” said Senator Bob Hasegawa (D-Tukwila), “I was so impressed with their political network actually, because she knew about this [resolution] being presented today… So because of that network, I got notified with questions like ‘why am I being charged with this sales tax now on these performances by my students?’ I think we got that fixed this session.”
“I didn’t learn to play piano, but I took organ lessons,” said Senator Shelly Short (R-Addy). “The coolest part of the journey was being able to play organ with my grandmother… I remember that as a child; I am always gonna remember those memories.”
After the resolution was passed unanimously, Lt. Governor Denny Heck reminded us that Washington State Senate once had a prominent member, Nita Rinehart (1940-2024), a piano teacher, who chaired the Senate Ways and Means Committee and was the staff director for the Senate Democratic Caucus.
If you ever need some assurance as to why you entered the music teaching profession, I highly recommend that you watch the entire video at TVW at the link below. Our profession’s impact is far more than producing prize-winning students; our students enter into every profession, carrying with them a love of music and a capacity to empathize, a social component that seems at risk of evaporating lately.
Photo Caption: WSMTA Teachers visiting Washington State Senate on February 27, 2026.
From Left to Right: Krista Seely (Kitsap), Hannah Cho (Olympia), Ramona Allen (Olympia), Jessica Andrews-Hall (South King County, Seattle), Suzanne Grant (Seattle), Ryan Worswick (Seattle), Senator Steve Conway (D-Tacoma), Kira Miller (Gig Harbor), Jason Kuo (Seattle), Donna Bender (Eastside), Sarah Silvia (Edmonds, Eastside), and Pat Kilmer (Olympia).