In more ways than one, this is a love story, and it begins in 1970. Paul Cummins, headmaster of a Santa Monica elementary school called St. Augustine-by-the-Sea, was in the market for a music teacher and a colleague suggested he call a Rustic Canyon pianist named Mary Ann. Mary Ann wasn't interested in the job but agreed to host a get-together at her home and introduce Cummins to two teachers. But Cummins didn't want the other two. He wanted Mary Ann. 'I've just seen the best teacher I've ever seen in my life,' he told a friend after visiting Mary Ann and hearing about her teaching techniques. Cummins talked Mary Ann into taking the job, and before long, she joined the faculty of a brand-new...
