The Sound of Music

Once upon a time (in the 1990s), there was an aspiring pianist who was busy studying in her upstairs bedroom when her elder sister decided it would be fun to mess with her. Jenny, the baby of the Grimes family, had long, think red hair for which she was greatly admired. She was quiet like her father and assiduously diligent. But she was also a little high strung. Diana, the middle child and black sheep of the Grimes family, was her rambunctious counterpart and she loved to devil Jenny. 

Now Diana had a friend over and wanted to conduct something of a behavioral experiment. She turned on Jenny's metronome knowing full well that the ticking would trigger her unsuspecting sister. As soon as it began going tick, tick, tick, tick... Diana and her friend ran for cover. 

As expected, Jenny came downstairs snatching the metronome off the piano and wondering aloud who had messed with it. Since no one was to be seen, Jenny went back upstairs to continue her work. 

A few minutes later the metronome was ticking again, only this time much faster. Jenny made haste to determine the culprit, but couldn't find anyone in the room. It must have been maddening to be sure.

Despite such annoyances, Jenny continued with her piano lessons unabated. At her last piano recital, she performed "Clair de Lune" by Debussy. It remains one of Diana's favorite pieces (with or without the metronome).