终于这一天还是来了，我在赶往科罗拉多州的阿斯彭。我从朋友那儿听说过阿斯彭的事，他前些年在这儿读过书。我确信，这个夏天将会是一段奇妙的学习经历。我非常愿意向赫伯特·史泰森先生学习，他是一位毕业于茱莉亚音乐学院，且非常受人尊敬的教授。
在上了几堂课过后，我确信跟随史泰森先生上课，不会让我失望的。他让人难以置信的从不会放过每一个可以捕捉到的细节。他会注意每一个音节转弯的地方，并在复杂的和旋里面找错误，还会在每次上课时加入一些幽默感。我准备弹奏贝多芬第31首奏鸣曲第三号作品作为在硕士课堂上练习的曲子，他在课程最后告诉我说：“亚伦，你再多练习练习，都可以超过我了！”
因为我是第一次在课堂上弹奏这样的奏鸣曲，我对自己的表现还是比较满意的。几天过后，当我经过一天小溪上面的小桥时，碰巧遇见了史泰森先生的夫人（史泰森夫人也是阿斯彭的教师），我朝她挥舞手臂，并朝她的方向走去，她跟我谈了一些话，但是由于水面的声音太大，我没听清楚，所以停顿了一下，她又讲了一遍给我听。她说：“你那天弹奏的贝多芬很好听”，我们又聊了一会儿天，我被她的亲切的表扬感动了。
7月15日，我最后一次上完史泰森先生的课，和他一起去餐厅。当我刚坐下准备和朋友一起吃午饭的时候，有人小声对我说，史泰森夫人昏倒了！我们当时自然反应是她可能因为海拔过高，或天气太热才昏倒了。然而，事情很快却变得更加严重了，有人叫来了救护车，并把她送到了附近的医院。晚上，我两个悲痛欲绝的朋友带回来的消息，让我猝不及防，史泰森夫人再也没能恢复清醒，因为动脉肿瘤破裂已经过世了。那天晚上，我和我的室友都没有睡，我们一起谈论着史泰森夫人直到生命最后一刻，所带给我们的美好回忆。第二天早上，系主任把我们叫到一起，公布了这个令人悲痛的消息。我们都不相信这样一个充满活力而富有奉献精神的人就这样走了，不敢想象史泰森先生是怎样接受这样突如其来的噩耗的。可以确信的是，所有的事情安排好了，史泰森先生就会回到纽约，这样的猜测再正确不过了。仅仅几天过后，史泰森先生就回到音乐教室来教书！起初看到史泰森先生决定留下来很震惊，很快就理解了他的想法：史泰森先生和夫人已经在阿斯彭教了许多年的书，与这里的老师和学生都建立了很深厚的情感。另外，我也意识到，他从对音乐的热爱和对学生的承诺里，可以找到对心灵的安慰。离开阿斯彭将会意味着抛下了她对南希（史泰森夫人）的美好回忆。在我跟随史泰森先生学习了整个夏天莫扎特钢琴协奏曲之后，我很荣幸有机会借我的表演来追忆史泰森夫人。
音乐演出结束的那天，是我在阿斯彭的最后一晚，我在后台收到了朋友和老师们的祝福。当我看到史泰森先生朝我走来的时候，他很开心，说“表演很棒”并且给了我一个拥抱，然后接着说“谢谢你的投入演出，我会想念你的。”我们又一次拥抱在一起。
去年夏天的学习经历的确给了我很大的震撼，史泰森先生不仅教会了我很多音乐和钢琴的知识，但最终教会我的是对生命的理解。
分析
米勒围绕两个故事完成这篇ESSAY：一个是对音乐学习经历的描述，另外一个是对史泰森夫人突然离世的描述。
作者对对话和叙述有很好的鉴赏能力，并且用一种很吸引人的谦逊将自己的经历和情感表达出来。虽然他错失了很好的机会来展示他对表演的感受，并且在文章结束的方式有些老套，但他却让读者在文章中看到一系列值得赞扬的品质：同理心、善良、智慧和大度。
米勒的这篇文章并没有让读者感到他有多成熟，但让读者看到了他的柔软的情感和知道如何把握情感距离的一面。
英文原版ESSAY赏析
ESSAY17：A Lesson About Life
By Aaron Miller
Finally the day had arrived. I was on my way to Aspen, Colorado. I had heard wonderful stories about the Aspen Music School from friends who had attended in previous years, and I was certain that this summer would be an unbelievable learning experience. I was especially excited to be studying with Mr. Herbert Stessin, an esteemed professor from the Juilliard School.
After just a few lessons with Mr. Stessin, I knew that I would not be disappointed. Mr. Stessin is so incredibly sharp that no detail gets but him. He notices every turn of each musical phrase, catches wrong notes in complex chords, and interjects his wry sense of humor into every lesson. As I was preparing Beethoven’s Sonata, Op.31, No.3, for a master class, he warned me at the end of a lesson, “Don’t play this too well, Aaron, or I’ll have nothing to say!”
The master class went quite well considering that it was my first performance of the sonata. A few days later, as I walked across the bridge over the creek which winds through the music school campus, I saw Mr. Stessin’s wife, Nancy, who was also on the Aspen faculty. I waved to her, and as I walked past she said something to me which I didn’t catch over the roar of the rushing water. I stopped for a moment as she repeated, “That was a very nice Beethoven you played the other day.” We had a brief conversation, and I was touched by her thoughtful comment.
On July 15 I had my last lesson with Mr. Stessin, and walked with him to the dinning hall. As I was sitting down with my friends to have lunch, someone whispered to me, “Mrs. Stessin passed out!” we naturally assumed that she had fainted from the altitude or the heat. However, we soon realize that the situation was more serious, as an ambulance was called to take her to the nearby hospital. Nothing could have prepared me for the news that two distraught friends brought late that night to my roommate and me. Mrs. Stessin had never regain consciousness and had died of a ruptured aneurysm. That night, my roommate and I could not sleep; we talked about our memories of Mrs. Stessin for hours on end. In the morning, Dean Laster called us together to officially announce the sad news. Numb with disbelief that this vibrant and dedicated woman was gone, we wondered how Mr. Stessin could possibly cope with this terrible tragedy. Surely he would be heading back to New York as soon as arrangements could be made. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Only days after, Mr. Stessin was back in his studio, teaching! Initially shocked by Mr. Stessin’s decision to stay, I soon began to understand his thinking. He and his wife had been teaching at Aspen for many years and had built a strong sense of community with the faculty and students. Furthermore, I realized that he found comfort through his love of music and his commitment to his students. Leaving Aspen would have meant leaving behind his fondest memories of Nancy. After studying a Mozart piano concerto with Mr. Stessin all summer, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to dedicate my performance to the memory of Mrs. Stessin.
At the end of the concert, my last evening in Aspen, I was greeted by friends and faculty members backstage. When I saw Mr. Stessin approaching me, he was beaming. “That was a wonderful performance!” he said, and gave me a hug. He continued, “And thank you for the dedication. I’ll miss you.” We hugged again.
Last summer did indeed turn out to be an unbelievable learning experience. Although Mr. Stessin taught me a great deal about music and the piano, in the end his greatest lesson about life.
ANALYSIS
Miller builds a strong essay around two big stories: a phenomenal accomplishment and a moving death.
He has a good ear for coupling dialogue and narration, and projects himself with attractive modesty. Miller offers the reader a chance to appreciate an especially wide range of qualities: empathy, virtuously, wisdom, and generosity, although he misses a good opportunity to describe how he feels about the music he performs, and his conclusion is somewhat trite.
Miller limits his essay to allowing the reader to appreciate one’s maturity, but one must have a gentle touch and health emotional distance.
注：essay出自哈佛成功ESSAY50篇之第一版
