♪
Hark the Herald Angels sing or Ring Christmas bells?
Hmm?
Which song?
Hmm?
For the Christmas concert, Lizzy.
Are you in there?
I'm sorry, I'm distracted by the piano.
It is beautiful.
And it cost more than my car.
Yeah, it's pricey, but I mean,
couldn't you just picture our students playing it?
We could put it on the front cover of the brochure.
Hmm, The Brooklyn Music Institute,
now with really expensive piano's.
See, that would make me wanna go there.
Sweetie, that's why you teach piano
and I handle the business stuff.
You dream of making beautiful music
and I dream of paying the rent.
Maybe Santa will bring us one.
That's the spirit.
Hey, why don't you play something?
Oh, no.
Come on.
No, you know I don't like playing in front of an audience.
Hmm.
What audience, there's nobody here.
(laughs)
Come on, when are you ever gonna get a chance like this?
Okay.
(nervous chuckle)
(we wish you a merry Christmas playing)
Yes, Mr. Akimono.
Travis McKinley is very interested
in your building in Tokyo.
Yep.
Dad!
W-well yes, McKinley financial services does have hotel,
retail and financial properties all over the world
but we treat each as though they're our only one.
Dad! It's getting late.
One second.
Yes, yes.
Of course I can get that for you.
Uhh, hold on a moment, please.
Uhh, Meg, I need the uhh--
Thank you.
Yes Sir, I have it right here.
How do you do that?
Do what?
Always know what Dad wants before he knows he wants it.
Being psychic was part of the job description.
(laughs)
Of course.
And I will speak with you tomorrow.
Goodbye.
I heard all of that.
Dad, can we go?
The Christmas tree lot is gonna be closing soon.
Abigail, we've got plenty of time.
What if we're late?
Well, we'll get a Christmas tree tomorrow.
That's what you said yesterday.
I did?
So much for the father of the year award, huh?
(laughs)
It is at risk, yes.
(we wish you a merry Christmas playing)
(applause)
Where did they come from?
Sorry, next time I'll barricade the door.
I appreciate that, let's go.
Bye.
You know, you were really incredible in there,
you should consider performing again.
Thank you, but I am perfectly content being a music teacher.
I don't miss being on stage at all.
Lizzie, I know what happened was embarrassing,
but it was 10 years ago.
Sam, it was more than embarrassing,
it wasn't like I missed a note during a talent show,
I froze during my debut concert in front of 1,000 people.
You perform in front of your students
in the classroom all the time.
There's a difference between a classroom and a stage.
Listen--
(sigh)
It happened, I moved on, I'm fine right where I am.
I get it.
I could teach someone to balance a cheque-book
but I wouldn't wanna do it in front of thousands of people.
(laughs)
Thank you.
Come on, let's go find a tree for this Christmas concert.
I just hope we can find one that's not too embarrassed
to be on stage.
That's not funny.
I think it's funny.
It's not funny at all!
Funny!
Not funny!
You know what, let's get outta' here.
Tokyo will be there in the morning.
Oh good, Brad, you're still here.
Oh hey, Cynthia, I was actually just on my way out the door.
Abigail, you remember Cynthia, she used to work with me
but now she's VP at Business Strategies for Mr. McKinley.
What does that mean?
It means I work too much
and sometimes I have to beg other people to work too much.
Oh, I don't like the sound of that.
(laughs)
You're so funny.
I don't think so.
Well, Travis saw an article
about this up and coming neighbourhood in Brooklyn
that all the tech companies are going to and he wants in.
Find an older building, update it into high-end office space.
Okay, well I'll pull the available properties
tomorrow morning.
Or we can do it your way.
I know, I'm sorry.
The company made a mint
from the sale at the hotel on the west side
and Travis want to invest before the end of the year
to avoid a big capital gains hit.
End of the year that's in two weeks!?
Uhh, merry Christmas.
Tell Travis he's gonna get a visit
from the Ghost of Christmas Past tonight.
(laughs)
Thank you, I will talk to you tomorrow.
Goodbye Abigail, nice to see you again.
♪
This is gonna give me something to do
while you pick out a Christmas tree.
Yes!
Let's go!
♪ Of all the trees that are in the wood ♪
♪ The holly bears the crown ♪
Which way?
I think the one we want is--
That way!
Good enough for me!
(laughing)
♪ The playing of the merry organ ♪
What about this one?
It will look good next to the piano.
That was subtle.
I thought you said you were ready
to start taking lessons again?
I said I was thinking about it,
I didn't say go hire me a teacher.
I haven't hired her, I haven't even talked to her.
Meg found her and set up an interview for tomorrow night.
But if you don't like her--
I don't know.
It's too fluffy.
Well, we wouldn't want that.
I say we keep looking.
You're the boss.
Oh!
Oh no, I'm--
I'm so sorry.
No, no it was my fault I, uhh--
I uhh, wasn't watching where I was going.
♪
Dad, come on.
Duty calls.
Umm, sorry again.
No, no, it's okay.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you too.
(nervous chuckle)
Oh umm, one more.
Thank you.
(laughs)
♪
Hey
Hi, Ms. Moore.
Jordan, what are you doing
sitting out here in the cold, come on!
Inside.
Hi.
I forgot my Vivaldi.
Your what?
Vivaldi Concerto on A minor.
I left it at home
and Mr. Flannery is gonna yell at me.
He's not gonna yell at you.
He says that I'll never get into Juilliard
If I keep leaving my music.
Maybe he's right.
Jordan, what's going on?
(sigh)
My mom said that she hasn't heard anything
about the scholarships for next year,
I can't keep going here if we don't get them.
Hey, we have our big concert on Christmas Eve that brings in
all the donations that we need to cover the scholarships.
So, tell your mom not to worry.
Yeah?
Yeah.
And you tell Mr. Flannery, I forgot my music all the time,
I still got into Juilliard.
Thanks, Mrs. Moore.
You have a good lesson.
And group lessons for Piano, Brass, Strings, you name it.
In fact, this is Lizzie one of our piano teachers.
Hi, welcome!
I actually need to discuss something with Lizzie,
so I'm going to have Juliette take you on a tour
and I'll catch up with you in a minute, okay?
Okay.
Thank goodness you're here.
What's going on?
They're selling the building.
What? Where did you hear that?
The dentist on the fourth floor,
he heard it from the accountant on three,
who apparently has a cousin, who knows someone
who works in the property manager's office.
Well, as long as you got it straight from the horse's mouth.
Lizzie, this is serious!
What if the rent goes up?
The school has a great deal here.
Samantha, breathe, you don't even know for sure
if the building's for sale yet.
The dentist seemed very sure.
Well, the dentist works with a lot of laughing gas,
I'm not sure how much stock we should put in him.
Did you not hear me say, this is serious?
Sam, until we know for sure, why don't we just worry about
the things that we know we need to worry about?
Like the Christmas concert,
I mean, we still have rehearsals to do, and programs to print.
Have you chosen a theme yet?
Yes.
The sound of Christmas.
Showcasing holiday songs from across the centuries
from Bach to Bublé.
Nice, I'll call the printer.
See, you forgot about the building already.
Sure, not worried about it at all.
(laughs)
This could work.
It's a good neighbourhood.
It's not far from the subway.
Parking could be an issue, we should check the zone--
Zoning requirements, I'm already on it.
I'll send you a link.
You know, Meg, one of these days,
I'm gonna ask you a question that will stump you.
Yeah, good luck with that.
Hello.
We're here to see the building manager.
(playing The First Noel)
(plays note off key)
I always get tripped up by that spot.
Earl, that was fantastic, I can tell you've been practicing.
It's not a very hard song.
Don't be modest, you sound great.
Oh, I don't know.
Have you thought anymore
about playing in the Christmas concert.
You think I'm ready for an audience?
Are you kidding me?
Yes! Of course!
I ran a company for 50 years, loved every minute of it
but not as much as I love this!
I know exactly what you mean.
I should've turned the company over to my son years ago.
I didn't know you had a son.
We're not close.
He took piano lessons when he was a boy.
He played this song one year.
I'm sorry, you don't wanna hear all of this.
I'll tell you what, if you agree to be in the concert,
I will reserve the best seats in the house for your son.
It's never too late for Christmas.
I'll think about that.
Okay.
Now move over,
let me show you how to get through that tough spot.
Oh.
I'll follow along.
Ready?
Mhm.
(playing The First Noel)
Good.
(The First Noel continues)
Where are we with Toronto?
It's done.
Contracts are ready for your signature.
And that is how you negotiate a deal, nicely done.
What else?
Company Christmas party?
Just tell me where to be and how much it's gonna cost me.
Next.
Brad has a proposal for the Brooklyn project you wanted.
Excellent.
Uhh, the building's in great shape.
It's 70 percent lease
but everyone's on a month to month deal,
so that's not an issue.
What's on the ground floor?
A music school, it's nice but it's not essential.
Any problems with the neighbours?
It might go over better if you added some conveniences,
a coffee shop or a market.
Gourmet market thing is really hot right now.
Good idea, Brad.
Uhh, any downside?
There isn't one.
I mean, the price is right,
and there's plenty of space once we move everybody out.
All right, let's push forward with it.
The accountants told me how big our tax bill is gonna be
if we don't reinvest by January one, so we need this.
As long as there aren't any surprises,
I want something to sign by next week.
Thanks Travis.
That went well.
Do you want some help with the offer letter,
I just did one for the building over on fifth.
Oh, that would be great!
We've got a lot of work to do,
if we're gonna get this all done by the end of the year.
Well, if you want,
we can go over it tonight, say over dinner?
Yeah.
Oh no, I can't tonight, Abigail's got a thing at home.
I can bring it over later.
Okay, sure.
Great, I will see you around 7:30.
Sounds good.
Thanks Cynthia.
(knocking)
Hey, I think I convinced Earl to be in the Christmas concert.
That's great!
And I got another sponsor,
which means our donations can go towards scholarships.
So, we both had a productive day?
Yes we did, are you off?
Yes, I have a first meeting with a new private student
and her dad in Manhattan.
Oh, well, good luck.
If it works out, bring her around here,
we can always use more Manhattan parents come donation time.
I'll see what I can do, goodnight.
Goodnight.
(playing Pour Elise)
What is that?
Beethoven?
Ha-ha.
♪
You don't have to do this you know.
I know.
I mean, you have to meet with her
because she's gonna be here in about a minute
but if you don't wanna take lessons from her
or if you don't wanna take lessons at all,
or even if you do, no pressure from me.
Dad, chill.
I know, it's complicated but,
I think your mother would be really happy
that you're playing again.
Thinking about playing again.
(doorbell dings)
I'll get it.
Both: Hi.
(laughing)
Uhh, come in, come in.
In here.
Oh, I see you uhh, found a tree.
Yes we did.
And we're gonna decorate it tonight, right dad?
Well, I do have some work to do but, absolutely,
we are decorating the tree tonight.
Here, have a seat.
Thank you.
Uhh so, Dave Nevatsky, I work with him and you taught his son.
Evan, yeah.
He was great.
He plays keyboard in a rock band now
so all those Mozart Sonata's I taught him really paid off.
(laughing)
How long have you been teaching?
Uhh, about 10 years.
I started playing when I was three or so my Dad said.
Twinkle, Twinkle little star was a big hit in my house.
Where'd you study?
I went to Juilliard.
Oh, impressive.
Yeah, I'm really glad it went there.
It actually taught me a lot about teaching.
And, how many students do you have?
Dad, we don't need to know every last detail of her life.
It's okay, you can ask as many questions as you want.
One of my piano teachers had a plaque on the wall
with a quote by Hans Christian Anderson that said,
"Where words fail, music speaks."
You need the right person to help you find your voice.
So, you can ask anything you want.
You have any other questions?
♪
Uhh, just uhh, when can you start?
(laughs)
How about right now?
Sure!
Great!
Yeah!
(doorbell dings)
Hi.
Hi, I brought the draft of the offer letter and some wine.
Little reward for working late.
Oh, hi. Am I interrupting?
Yes.
No, it's just a piano lesson.
Oh wonderful.
Hi, I'm Cynthia Brooks.
Lizzie Moore, nice to meet you.
I'll bet she is a great student.
Well, we should let them get to it.
Abigail if you need me, I'll be in my office.
It's just a piano lesson, Dad, not math homework.
In other words, "Go away, Dad."
You said it, not me.
Sorry about that, it's her first lesson with a new teacher,
so it's very dramatic.
I get it.
Uhh, do you want some wine while we do this.
Uhh, no, I'm good.
I can open it for you though, if you like.
Oh no, I'm good, probably keep my wits about me.
Right, okay.
ong have you been playing?
Started when I was six, stopped when I was twelve.
Why'd you stop?
My mom was really into music.
When she died it just didn't feel the same without her.
That's how I felt when I lost my Dad,
he's the one who taught me to play.
Okay, let's see what you got.
(laughs)
(blows air)
(playing Angels We Have Heard On High)
That's great.
(laughing)
(Angels We Have Heard On High continues)
You know it?
Of course.
(laughing)
(Angels We Have Heard On High continues)
(laughing)
You're a natural.
That song's easy, it's the first one I ever learned.
So, if we move this paragraph to here, I think that's it, right?
Looks good to me.
Great, that was easier than I thought it was gonna be.
It's a nice change of pace not to have to work until midnight.
(scoffs)
Travis is a Taskmaster.
Yes.
Although, I've gotten so used to it,
I don't even know what to do with myself
when I have a night off.
Nothing, you sit on the couch, you watch TV,
you eat food that is bad for you.
That is a night off.
Maybe the next time we have the same night off together,
we could do that.
Yeah, sounds like fun.
Great.
(playing Deck The Halls)
(clapping)
You know, I also teach at a music school in Brooklyn.
We do a big Christmas concert every year,
you should be in it.
Me?
I'm not good enough.
You're more than good enough.
I haven't played in years.
Oh well, then I see we have something else
we need to work on.
What?
Your confidence.
And you can take your lessons at the school anytime,
we got lots of kids your age
studying all different kinds of music.
Yeah, I'll think about it.
Great.
How we doing?
Umm, just wrapped up.
Is she ready for Carnegie Hall?
Absolutely.
Good, you can support me in my old age.
I will see you tomorrow.
Yes.
Nice to meet you.
You too.
Night, Abigail.
So?
I'll be right back.
Okay.
So, it's good?
I think so, she's umm, fantastic.
It's like she's got music in her DNA.
She definitely gets that from her mother.
I don't have a musical bone in my body.
Believe me, you don't want me anywhere near that piano.
(laughing)
Oh, let me help with that.
Oh, thanks.
Christmas Tree ornaments.
Yes, decorating the Christmas Tree.
You remember this one?
(laughing)
Did you make that, Abigail?
No, that was me.
He made it when I was in third grade.
I was actually in the second grade, so.
Umm, I uhh, better go.
Thanks Lizzie, I'll see you Thursday night?
As long as it's okay with your Dad.
Works for me.
Great, have fun with the tree.
Yeah.
I can see myself out.
Okay.
Goodnight.
Goodnight, thanks.
So, what do we have here.
I love that one.
Okay, you have to hang them, I'm just picking them out.
Let me think.
Yeah, definitely.
♪
Meg: You're very chipper today.
I'm in a good mood.
Why?
Can't I just be in a good mood?
Not usually, what gives?
We just put an offer in on a building
that could be a great opportunity for us.
And?
And that's it.
Samantha: How did the lesson go last night?
Good, it was good.
What was the smile?
I didn't smile.
You smiled like I have a secret smile.
I did not.
You did, I saw it!
Lizzie.
Brad?
Hi.
What are you doing here?
Oh, I was just picking up some papers.
My company's gonna buy this building
and turn it into high-end office space.
What are you doing here?
I work here.
At the music school that can't afford high-end office space.
♪
Let me talk to him.
This is really bad.
He seemed like a perfectly reasonable guy the other night,
just give me a minute.
Could I talk to you privately?
Sure.
Let me get you a coffee.
I'm Samantha, hi!
(sighing)
I can't believe this.
I don't know what to say, I-I-I-
Say you're not gonna buy the building.
Well, hold on, I'm not buying the building,
the company I work for is.
Well, tell them not to buy the building.
(nervous chuckle)
I just told them they should.
This was your idea?
Well, technically yes, but I didn't--
Did you know that there was a music school here.
Yes I did, but I didn't know you worked here.
I mean, I didn't know you until about 12 hours ago.
Expensive offices?
This neighbourhood doesn't need expensive offices.
Okay but we're also talking about putting in a market.
A gourmet market.
Oh great, so this important cultural art centre that serves
the entire neighbourhood is gonna be replaced
by Gluten-free cookies and overpriced blocks of cheese?
Don't you hate those Gluten-free cookies?
I mean, they always say they taste like the regular ones
but they really don't.
No, I don't care about the cookies, Brad, this is our home!
This--
This is our community.
I mean, we are two weeks away from our Christmas concert
which funds our scholarship program.
We can't have a scholarship program
if we don't have a school!
♪
I-I-I'm really sorry.
You're sorry?
That's it?
(sigh)
I can't believe I thought I liked you.
Wait a minute, you thought you liked me?
Oh no, no, no, no, you do not get to be smug about that.
I'm not-I'm not being smug,
I just, I think it's noteworthy that you like me.
Liked, past tense.
Right.
What am I gonna tell the students?
I mean, we can't afford to move.
I'm sure we can't afford your high-end offices.
Lizzie, the building is for sale.
I mean, someone's gonna buy it, I can't do anything about that.
Well, then talk to your company
tell them to leave the building the way it is!
It doesn't work that way.
Alright, it doesn't-it doesn't make financial sense
and I know how that sounds but--
(sigh)
It's just business.
Well, it's not business to my students.
It's not just business to me.
(sigh)
I would hate for this to get in the way
of you being Abigail's teacher.
I really like seeing her play piano again.
Well, I'm not mad at her.
♪
Good, so I'll see you tomorrow at 7:30.
Fine.
I'm gonna find a way to save the school.
I'm not giving up.
Okay.
(sigh)
g.
I know it's an impossible situation.
No, he's infuriating.
He is impossible.
It's just business?
It's not just business, it's our lives.
He's just doing his job.
He has a terrible job!
How can you decorate at a time like this?
We all have our ways of coping.
(sigh)
So, do you like him?
Absolutely, not the important part
of this conversation, Samantha.
Okay, okay, I know, I know but he is kinda cute.
Sam!
Okay, what are we gonna do?
I don't know.
I have no idea.
Don't worry.
I have Earl in ten minutes.
We shouldn't tell the students.
No, no definitely not, it'll ruin the Christmas concert.
It would ruin Christmas.
He's scrooge.
I'll talk to a few of the tenants,
umm, maybe the dentist knows a good lawyer.
Maybe the dentist knows Santa Clause
because what we could really use right now
is a Christmas miracle.
(laughs)
I just--
(sigh)
I don't understand how I became the bad guy in all of this.
You're the one who told Travis to buy the building.
Who's side are you on?
What about this, huh?
No.
Oh, perfect, huh?
Abigail would love this, right?
No.
Look, I'm on your side but I see their side to.
Well, so do I, I mean, I'm not a monster, I like music
and I'm not the one who put the building up for sale
in the first place.
Maybe Travis will let them stay.
Hey?
Huh?
Travis is not gonna let them stay
at the rent that they're paying.
So, what now?
What about this, it's got a heart on it.
She's not six anymore.
Isn't this one of those times
where you're supposed to tell me what to do?
Sorry, boss, this is above my pay grade.
You'll figure it out.
Yeah.
Hey?
But you will not figure this out.
Get out of my way.
Fine!
(playing The First Noel)
That was great, Earl, you did it!
I practiced for hours last night.
I think my neighbour's hate me.
(laughing)
You okay?
What, oh, umm, I'm sorry, I'm just distracted today.
Anything I help with?
No, no, it's fine, thank you.
Actually yes, you ran a business for a really long time, right?
I did, yes.
Did you ever have to negotiate
with really tough business people like heartless,
only in it for the cash types?
(laughing)
A few, most actually.
How did you do it?
Negotiate?
Well, I guess the first thing is you have to know
what it is that you want.
I can't tell you how often people have no clear idea,
what it is they want.
What does winning look like.
Okay.
It's all about strategy, try to discover their weak spots,
don't let them see yours.
That's good.
Oh, and this is important, always negotiate on your turf.
Never go to them and give up home field advantage.
Home field advantage, huh?
I can do that.
♪
Thank you.
Lizzie, hey!
Hey Abigail, how are you?
Good, cool place.
It is pretty cool, isn't it?
Listen, I'm sorry I couldn't make it out
to your place tonight's lesson.
I hope it wan't too much of an inconvenience
to come out all the way to Brooklyn.
No, not a problem at all.
Great.
Well, since you're here, why don't I give you a quick tour?
Cool, Dad?
Sure, why not.
(sigh)
I was one of the first teachers Samantha hired
when she started the school.
Back then, there was just a few of us and today we have
six teachers and about forty students every year.
That's a lot.
Enough to keep us busy.
We do keep our regular tuition low
because it's not a very high end neighbourhood,
we try to help out the community as best we can.
It's a challenge, we really depend on our Christmas concert
to get us through.
And we are very proud of our scholarship programs,
rewards talented musicians like Jordan here.
Jordan wants to go to Juilliard, just like I did.
So, what'd ya think?
Shamelessly manipulative.
I'm surprised you didn't have
a choir of orphans singing Silent Night.
Oh I tried but it was last minute so they were unavailable.
Did it work?
Lizzie, I know you don't wanna believe this but--
(sigh)
It really isn't up to me.
Yeah but you could talk to your boss
and tell him we wanna stay here
and continue paying the same rent.
(sigh)
You know that probably isn't possible.
Sorry.
Guess we should get your lesson started.
Come on.
♪
(playing Silent night)
It's good, it's really good.
I keep having a problem with the intro
like my hands can't move fast enough.
It's because you're keeping your wrists too tight.
Try this.
(laughing)
Really?
Yes really, teacher commands it.
(laughing)
Okay, let's try again.
What's up with you and my Dad?
What do you mean?
Hushed conversations, sideway glances, the tour.
That obviously wasn't for my benefit.
We're negotiating.
I don't suppose you could tell me what you're negotiating?
No, I can't, I'm sorry.
Okay.
But can I give you some advice,
you know, from someone who's been negotiating
with him my entire life.
Sure.
He want's to do the right thing,
it's just that sometimes his version of the right thing
might not look like yours.
Doesn't make him a bad person.
♪
Okay, let's try it again.
(playing Silent Night)
See, the hand flap works.
fun tonight?
Yeah, Lizzie is pretty cool.
Yeah, she is.
She wants me to be in the Christmas concert.
You thinking about doing it?
I don't know if I'm good enough, Lizzie says I am but--
What?
I've heard you play and I think you're good enough.
Yeah, but you're my dad, so it doesn't count.
Oh okay, I should probably be offended by that.
If I did do it, I'd wanna do one of the songs Mom taught me.
She loved Christmas music.
She loved Christmas.
Yeah, I remember.
There's Jen, I gotta go.
All right be sure to tell her mom thank you
for letting you stay over tonight.
I will, goodnight Dad.
Goodnight, Sweetheart.
♪
Hey!
♪
Goodnight, get home safe.
See you tomorrow.
Hi.
Where's Abigail?
Oh, she's spending the night at a friends.
So, you took her all the way there
and then came all the way back here.
Yeah, yeah I did.
Why?
Well, I-I thought we could declare truce
or maybe a temporary cease fire.
We could probably do that.
(laughing)
Can I walk you home?
Sure.
Umm--
Goodnight.
♪
Abigail really had fun tonight.
She's a pretty amazing kid.
Yeah, she is.
So, did you get your tree decorated?
Fully decked.
I forgot how much work it is with just two people.
We used to have these tree trimming parties
with our friends, where we'd go house to house
on different nights and decorate in a big group.
Wait, you let other people see that reindeer ornament.
(laughing)
Yeah, I live on the edge.
That seems like a nice tradition, why'd you stop?
Amy, my wife, she was kind of the glue
that held that social circle together.
When she died, everyone kinda just drifted apart.
We still see each other
but when we do it always feels like there's something missing.
I'm so sorry.
Seems like Abigail's doing okay,
you've done a great job with her.
I don't know if I can take much credit for that.
Amy set a really good example.
And if I'm being honest, you have a small part in that too.
Me?
Yeah, I mean, these last couple days,
she hasn't gone near the piano in years.
Now, she's on it all the time.
I think you made her love music again.
She never stopped loving music.
She may have stopped listening for a minute but that's all.
♪
Candy cane?
Thank you.
♪
(laughing)
♪
(cellphone ringing)
Sorry.
Hi Cynthia.
I'm sorry to calls so late.
It's okay, what's up?
Well, I just thought you'd want to hear the good news,
they accepted our offer on the building.
♪
Yeah, that's uhh, that's great.
♪
I don't understand, you don't want Travis to buy the building.
No, no, no.
I want him to buy the building,
I just want him to keep the music school in it.
But he doesn't want a music school, he wants office space.
And he can have that,
he just also needs to have a music school.
(sigh)
I don't understand and Travis is definitely not gonna understand.
Meg.
I've got nothing.
Great, the one time
when I actually need you to be smarter than me.
(sigh)
Travis, good morning.
Good morning, do we have the projections for London?
I sent them to you last night.
Great, thank you.
Travis do you have a minute?
I got like a half of one, maybe.
I have some concerns about the building in Brooklyn.
Specifically?
One of the tenants is a music school,
they do a lot of great work in the community
and I think we should do what we can to help them out.
Help them, I don't understand.
If they move.
If? No, they have to move.
Nobody wants to see a music school there
when they can see your gourmet market.
Your idea not mine, remember?
Is there gonna be a problem?
No, not at all.
Great.
Then let's get busy, contracts people.
(sigh)
Now what am I gonna do?
This place is really important to you, isn't it?
Well, it's important to Abigail.
Why don't we brainstorm on it?
We can talk about it over dinner, say tonight?
Yeah, yeah sure, that'd be great.
Thanks, Cynthia.
My pleasure.
♪
So, you had this romantic Christmas moment
then he got a mysterious call.
(giggle)
And that was it?
Pretty much.
Have you heard from him since?
(sigh)
It's been two days.
Do you think he's avoiding you?
I don't know.
Cause the building?
I hope so.
You do?
Yeah because if he isn't avoiding me
because of the building, he's avoiding me because of me.
Okay, do you like Brad or not, I've lost track
of where you are with the whole like Brad, hate Brad thing.
I don't know, I will figure it out tonight.
I've got a lesson with Abigail.
Well, why don't you just ask him?
You know, what's this really about,
is it about the building or is it about us?
Because I'm afraid of what the answer might be.
(clapping)
That was great guys, let's try it again but have fun.
I mean, our audience is spending Christmas Eve with us.
It should be festive.
Hi Lizzie.
Abigail, hey!
Where's your dad?
He just dropped me off,
he's got some kind of dinner thing with Cynthia.
Oh, okay.
So, dinner with Cynthia, huh?
She's okay I guess,
I mean, it's just so obvious she likes him
and of course he's just oblivious to it.
So, I was wondering if you could look at these.
Oh, these are great.
Holiday classics.
Yeah?
If I was going to do the concert and I'm not saying I am
but if I did, I'd wanna do one of these.
Well, if you do decide to do the concert
and I know you're not saying that you are
but if you do, I would do this one.
Yeah?
Yeah.
Let's hear it.
♪
Cynthia: So, why can't they just move?
They can't afford it.
We could get four times what they're paying for that space.
You know, it's really sweet what you're doing for those kids.
Right, kids.
I mean, you're kinda like their own personal Santa Clause.
Okay, I wouldn't go that far.
♪
What are you doing for Christmas?
Christmas Eve there's a concert at the school
that Abigail might take part in and Christmas Day
just normal stuff, presents, food.
I pretend I can cook.
And we usually watch a Christmas movie marathon.
I love Christmas movies.
They're so--
Romantic.
And then of course
there's the uhh, company Christmas party on the weekend.
Oh.
I wonder who's gonna be embarrassed on Monday.
Uhh, Debra from accounting.
(laughing)
You can take that to the bank.
Yeah, that's right, she loves that dance floor, doesn't she?
Well, who doesn't?
I don't remember seeing you out there last year.
Well, maybe no one asked last year.
Well, we have to remedy that this year.
You, me, dancefloor.
Deal.
(cups clink)
Okay, so you wanna make sure when you're performing
that you're not just staring at the piano,
you wanna remember your audience.
What if I wanna forget my audience.
Earl!
(laughing)
You're not nervous are you?
Put me in a conference room
with a bunch of businessmen, I'm great!
Put me on a stage, how do you handle it?
Well, it's been awhile.
Why is that?
Had a bad experience, sort of soured me
on the whole playing in public thing.
So now you make other people play in public?
Benefits of being a teacher.
Well, I guess I feel lucky then.
Why is that?
Because I get to hear you, you're wonderful, you know?
♪
Thank you.
Oh umm, I'm still holding those tickets for your son.
Oh right, umm, I don't think I'll be needing them.
Did you call him?
Uhh no, he's uhh, very busy, didn't wanna bother him.
So, you never told me how your negotiation went.
Umm, I'm not sure,
the balls sort of in their court right now.
That's actually another good lesson
in the art of negotiating.
Never let them take the ball and if they do, take it back.
♪
Thanks.
♪
(line ringing)
Hi, this is Brad Evans, please leave a message
and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Hi, Brad, this is Lizzie Moore.
Umm, I know we were gonna do Abigail's lesson at school again
tomorrow night but all of the rooms are being used
for Christmas concert rehearsals.
So, I need to move the lesson to your place.
I hope that's okay, thanks bye.
Take back the ball.
Meg: For the Christmas party,
the food will be set up in several rooms.
This will be the main bar.
I was thinking that right in front of the DJ
would be the spot for Travis' inspirational speech
on the magic of Christmas.
Or the one he usually gives
on corporate profit and stock value.
That's the one.
The dance floor will be here.
Plenty of room for Debra from Accounting.
Well, sounds like you have everything taken care of.
Yes I do.
So?
Why am I here?
You needed something else to think about other than
Brooklyn music schools and pretty piano teachers.
About these psychic powers.
I'm not psychic, I just pay attention.
Well, thank you, but you could have Santa and his reindeer
flying through here and it wouldn't be enough
of a distraction.
From the school or the teacher?
Both.
I mean, I've looked at this from every angle
and I still can't find a way to save the school.
And if I can't save the school
than I can forget about the teacher.
You really like her.
Well, you should invite her to the Christmas party.
(scoffs)
No!
We're the enemy, remember?
Brad, you spent the past couple of days doing
everything you can to try and make her happy.
That doesn't sound like the enemy to me.
(playing Good King Wenceslas)
(laughing)
That was so great!
I'm having a hard time keeping up with you.
Oh, please, you were holding back and you know it.
I was not!
You keep this up, you're not gonna need me at all.
We should do that for the concert.
I'm just the director, the students are the stars.
Oh, yeah.
I forgot about your whole, don't perform in public thing.
How do you know about that?
Kids at school were talking.
Leading theories on what happened are
a wardrobe malfunction or your piano caught fire.
It was nowhere near that dramatic.
Then what was it?
I froze.
My big debut concert, I just sat there staring at a piano
as if I'd never seen it before.
That's awful.
But it turned out okay right?
You started teaching and you like that.
Absolutely, you know I umm,
I don't tell that story to a lot of people, so--
Can we just keep it between you and me?
Of course, if anyone asks,
I'll go with the piano on fire version.
Oh, thank you!
I better get going.
Tell your dad I'm sorry I missed him.
Yeah, I don't know where he is
probably has something to do with his job.
Hope he gets home soon though
because he told me he was gonna help me make Christmas cookies
for school tomorrow.
Well, if you want, I happen to be a Christmas cookie master.
Really?
They trust you around ovens with your propensity
for setting things on fire.
You want my help or not?
Yes, please.
♪ Round the Christmas tree a little box you gave me ♪
♪ With a ring inside
(laughing)
Abigail: Lizzie smell these!
Oh, so good!
Hey!
What is going on here?
Hey Dad, we're making the Christmas cookies
you said you were gonna help with.
Oh, I can see that.
Did any of the flour actually make it into the cookies?
We figured since you weren't here to help bake,
you're on clean up duty.
Oh, I don't like that deal at all.
You snooze, you loose.
Well, can I at least have a cookie?
I think we could spare one.
Mmm.
♪
That was fun tonight, thanks for that.
It was.
Look, I'm sorry I've been so out of touch.
It's okay.
No, it's not.
Just want you to know that I worked hard to find a solution.
You mean there's still time, right?
It's not a done deal.
No, not yet but Lizzie they accepted our offer.
They're drawing up the contracts,
my boss wants it done before the first of the year.
Wow!
That's fast.
Yeah.
What if I talk to him?
You wanna talk to my boss?
Sure.
Let me pitch him directly.
I mean, I convinced you that the school was worth saving,
I could convince him.
I don't know, Travis is--
(sigh)
He's not the warmest guy on the face of the earth.
We invite him to the concert.
I mean, who can resist cute kids and Christmas music.
Yeah, yeah, I guess it's worth a shot.
Hey, why don't you come to our companies Christmas party
this weekend?
I promise you it's not boring, we have some serious fun.
I've been known to loosen my tie.
Well, that I would like to see.
Yeah and it's our best shot of catching Travis in a good mood.
Okay, let's do it.
Great, I'll have my assistant send the details.
Okay.
All right, yeah.
Night.
Oh umm, what do-what do I need to wear?
Well, it's a formal affair but wear something comfortable,
something you can dance in.
Okay.
♪
How do I look?
Ta-da!
I'll take that as a compliment.
It was meant as one.
I don't know how long I'll be but I shouldn't be too late.
I'll make sure the wild party I'm throwing is done by then.
I appreciate it.
Hey Dad,
Can I ask you a question?
Don't worry, Meg already helped me
pick out your Christmas present.
Well, that's a relief but that's not what I was going to ask.
Okay.
What is it?
You know that it's totally okay for you to date, right?
I mean, you know that I'd be okay with it, right?
You are?
Yeah.
I just want you to be happy.
I am happy.
And I love you.
I love you too.
And for the record, I'm totally not okay
with you dating until you're like 35, got it?
Goodnight, Dad.
35.
Goodnight.
♪
Enjoy the party.
Cynthia!
You look fantastic!
Thank you, you look pretty good yourself.
That's a nice Tux.
Thanks.
Hey, have you seen Travis around?
Yeah, he's over by the bar, I think.
What kinda mood is he in?
Not bad, I think he's happy with the way the party turned out.
Why?
Well, I'm gonna kinda ambush him tonight.
Ambush him? With what?
♪
Her.
Excuse me.
♪
(nervous chuckle)
Wow.
Wow, yourself.
I am rarely at a loss for words.
That has been evident so far, yes.
But in this moment, I can only think of one thing to say.
What?
Would you like to dance?
♪
♪ Silent night, holy night ♪
♪ All is calm, all is bright ♪
♪ Round yon virgin Mother and child ♪
♪ Holy infants so tender and mild ♪
♪ Sleep in heavenly--
Meg: Merry Christmas, Cynthia.
Merry Christmas, Meg.
♪ Sleep in heavenly peace ♪
Are you okay?
Yeah.
I'm fine.
Nice work on the contracts.
I'm sorry?
Legal sent up the contracts for the Brooklyn building
this afternoon.
They what?
I signed them, sent them back, done deal.
No.
Is there a reason, I shouldn't have signed them?
No, it was the best deal.
Then to all, a good night.
Would you like to get a drink?
Sure.
We still gonna talk to your boss?
As long as you're up for it, I hear he's in a pretty good mood.
Good enough to save a school?
We're about to find out.
Travis?
Brad.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Travis.
And who's this beautiful lady?
This is Lizzie Moore of the Brooklyn Music Institute.
It's nice to meet you.
It's nice to meet you too.
Sir, I'd like to invite you to our Christmas Eve concert.
It's a great night of music where we raise funds
for our scholarship program.
I just think if you see the kind of work we do
you would understand how important this school is.
I appreciate the offer and I'd love to attend.
Umm, you know when I was younger
I used to tickle the ivories myself.
You did?
That's great, maybe you'd like to take it up again.
I know a good piano teacher.
She is a great teacher, Abigail loves her.
Actually, I think I'm a little too old.
No, one of my favourite students is 70.
He'll be performing in the show too.
You all deserve it, we really appreciate your--
Hard work.
Excuse me.
I guess you can never say never, right?
Umm, anyway I appreciate the invitation
and I look forward to the concert and umm,
I'm just glad there's no hard feelings.
About what?
About the school.
I'm sure you'll find a new home.
W-w-ell Travis, we still have to work out the specifics.
No, it's all done.
I signed the contracts to complete the purchase
of the building this afternoon.
Isn't that right, Cynthia?
Anyway, I look forward to the show.
It was nice meeting you, Ms. Moore.
Excuse me.
Lizzie!
Brad, it's not what you think.
♪
I'm sorry again.
For what?
As predicted, I failed.
Lizzie, this isn't your fault.
You can't blame yourself.
It feels like it is.
Don't be silly, I mean, you can't blame yourself for this
anymore than we can blame,
I don't know, the dentist up on the fourth floor.
Can we blame the dentist on the fourth floor?
Sure, sweetie.
(laughs)
It's funny, you know, I always felt like what happened to me
on that stage was a loss, you know,
like a part of me always felt like I lost something,
but these past couple of weeks, fighting for all of this,
I just, I get it, you know, this is what matters.
This would be the real loss.
What are we gonna tell the students?
Nothing.
It would break their hearts and it would ruin the show.
If this is gonna be our last Christmas concert ever
then it's gonna be the best.
A big loud celebration of Christmas, okay!
Okay.
Loud.
Okay!
Let's take it from the top.
Meg: You know, it's not too late.
The contracts are signed Meg, it is too late.
Contracts can be torn up.
Travis is never gonna tear up the contracts,
it would cost him too much money at this point.
Have you talked to Lizzie?
She's not returning my calls.
Just give her time, she'll come around.
I just, I don't understand Cynthia,
why didn't she stop Travis,
she's supposed to be on our side.
She's hurt by you and Lizzie.
Why would she be hurt?
Brad, come on, you know she has feelings for you.
(laughing)
What!?
No she doesn't.
Brad, seriously!?
I noticed it the first time I saw her in your office.
Cynthia does not have feelings for me,
we're coworkers, we're friends.
Oh no.
I-I-I honestly never saw it before.
Oh, I feel terrible.
Maybe you should tell her that.
Yeah, uhh, I'm gonna catch up with you later.
I'm gonna go talk to her.
(knocking)
Can I come in?
Of course.
♪
About last night--
Look, I really didn't mean do it to happen like that, it's just--
Cynthia, I'm sorry.
For what?
You know that I have the utmost respect for you
and I love working with you.
You make things easy
and challenging all at the same time.
More than anything, I consider you a friend
and I realize that I haven't been a very good one.
Brad, you don't have to say this.
I do.
I'm really sorry.
Still, I should have told legal to hold the contracts.
I should've told Travis not to sign it.
He would've signed it anyway.
I begged him to reconsider but he won't budge.
I wouldn't expect anything less.
Lizzie seems really nice.
Yeah, yeah she is.
Can I give you some advice, as a friend?
Of course.
Don't miss your shot with her, you'll regret it later.
Thank you.
Hey Dad.
Hey, what are you--
Piano lesson.
Yeah, yeah, no, I just figured--
We need to make sure she's all set
for the concert tomorrow night.
Right, of course, so you decided to do the concert.
Yeah, I think it'll be good.
So do I.
Can I talk to you for a minute?
We really need to practice.
Okay, yeah.
I'll just--
Okay, let's try it again,
and this time hit the chorus really hard.
You did good today, Earl.
Oh, well, thank you Jordan.
You were very good yourself.
It's gonna be a good show.
Too bad it's gonna be the last one.
I'm really gonna miss this place.
What are you talking about?
(sigh)
I overheard Ms. Washington and Ms. Moore talking.
What'd they say?
(sigh)
Something-something about the building being sold.
I guess, they're shutting down the school.
Are you sure you heard correctly?
Pretty sure.
I guess Juilliard's gonna have to wait.
Well, anyways, I'll see you tomorrow.
Goodnight, Earl.
Goodnight, Jordan.
What's up with you and Lizzie?
What do you mean?
You know what I mean, you're upset, she's upset.
You two could barely look at each other earlier.
Did she say anything?
No but I asked her.
She said to concentrate on the concert.
Well, she's right.
The concert is the most important thing right now.
No Dad, you are and Lizzie is too!
What's going on?
(sigh)
Dad?
My company bought the building where the music school is,
which means, the school's probably gonna have to close.
What, Dad!?
I've tried everything to make it work.
Well, try harder!
Abigail, sometimes in life things don't always work out
the way we want them to, it's just--
Business.
Dad, that school's not just business to her, it's personal.
(sigh)
Honey, I'm sorry.
No, Dad, you're right.
Sometimes things don't work out and there's nothing you can do.
Sometimes things break and you can't fix them.
Sometimes we lose people and we can't get them back
but you can get her back, you can fix this.
So, fix it!
♪
Travis, can I talk to you?
Sure.
Here you go.
It's about the music school.
Brad, I thought we settled this?
A music school does not fit in with our plans.
Okay, but what if it did?
Brad.
The answer's no, it's just business.
Well, maybe it shouldn't be.
I'm sorry?
Maybe sometimes business gets in the way of what people need,
what makes them happy like friends, family, community.
I mean look at us, it's Christmas Eve
and you and I are both here working.
What's your point?
What's my point?
♪
You won't reconsider?
No.
Then, you'll have my letter of resignation, first thing Monday.
This is that important to you?
♪
Yes, it is.
Good for you for standing up for what you believe in.
You can uhh, put your letter on my desk.
Merry Christmas.
♪
(knocking)
Excuse me, are you Brad?
Yes.
Sorry to bother you, on Christmas Eve no less
but I got your name from Samantha Washington
at the music institute.
I'm taking piano lessons with Lizzie Moore.
Oh right, Earl.
She's talked about you, you're one of her favourite students.
Oh well, she's a remarkable teacher
and a remarkable young woman.
Yes she is.
How can I help you?
Actually, I came here to be able to see if I can help you.
(chatter)
Hey.
We ready?
It's a full house.
Great so, we'll go out with a bang.
Don't lose faith, never know what might happen.
(sigh)
He's here.
Who?
Travis McKinley, our new landlord.
Well good,
I hope he feels terrible by the end of the night.
Yeah, me too.
(sigh)
Have you seen umm?
No, Abigail came in by herself.
Okay, showtime.
You ready?
Ready.
Okay, places.
(clears throat)
Dim the house.
(chatter)
(applause)
Welcome.
Merry Christmas and welcome to
the Brooklyn Music Institute's 10th annual Christmas concert
entitled The Sound of Christmas.
(applause)
Thank you.
Okay, let's get things started.
Accompanied by one of our teachers Juliette Hastings
on the piano, our first performer of this evening,
Jordan Crawford.
(applause)
(playing Oh Holy Night)
(orchestra playing)
(applause)
You ready?
Ready.
You got this.
I hope so.
I know so.
(applause)
Our next performer is one of our newest students
and it's been an absolute pleasure getting to know her.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Abigail Evans.
(applause)
(playing Joy to The World)
(applause)
You should be so proud of her.
(applause)
(clapping)
That was amazing.
I couldn't have done it without you.
I'm so proud of you.
Thank you.
I've gotta go introduce Earl.
Our next performer proves that music isn't just for the young
but also for the young at heart.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome to the stage
Earl McKinley.
Did she say Earl?
(applause)
Uhh, if you will indulge me for just a moment,
I would like to dedicate this song to my son Travis.
♪
Travis?
Travis McKinley?
Earl is his father.
Travis I hope you remember this song as fondly
as I remember you playing it when you were young.
Merry Christmas, son.
I love you.
(playing The First Noel)
(applause)
Please take your seats.
Folks, please help me in welcoming the founder
of the school Samantha Washington as well as
the director of tonight's show Lizzie Moore.
What is going on?
Go!
Is that Brad?
Go just go!
Go!
(applause)
My name is Brad Evans and I work for McKinley financial services,
well I used to, we'll see what happens next.
Earlier this evening,
an emergency board of directors meeting
was called by chairman of emeritus Earl McKinley
and I'm proud to say that the company is gonna match donations
and add them to an endowment for the Brooklyn Music Institute.
(applause)
We're gonna take that money and turn this school
into the finest music school in the country.
(applause)
The Brooklyn Music Institute is staying right here.
Did you know about this?
Shh, listen.
And to start it off, we got a little Christmas gift.
Guys?
♪
(laughing)
Now, before we get to our last song,
I wonder if you can do me a favour,
will everyone who has taken lessons with Lizzie
please stand up.
♪
I'm really happy that we saved the school
but at the end of the day, it's just a building.
Samantha, the rest of the teachers, the students,
and you Lizzie, you have made this place special.
(applause)
I don't know what to say.
When words fail, music speaks.
♪
Hi.
How about a kiss for good luck?
Why didn't I think of that?
♪
(playing Jingle Bells)
(applause)