Mianbao, Employee #001: the studio’s lucky orange-and-white cat

Mianbao means “bread.” He is a short-haired orange-and-white cat — orange on the head, back, and tail; white muzzle, chest, and paws. Calling him Employee #001 is not a joke I tell once; it is how students keep track of who runs the front of house. I teach. He greets.

He is unusually people-oriented for a studio cat. When a student arrives, he often appears at the door, sits nearby during the first minutes, or parks on the warehouse while someone warms up. Children who were nervous about the new room tend to talk to him first. That is useful. A calm animal in the room is not a curriculum, but it is a real part of why the first ten minutes go more easily.

He is friendly, not a prop. If a child is allergic or uneasy around animals, say so before the trial — we will keep him out of the teaching space for that hour. If a child wants to say hello, the rule is the same as at home: let him approach, no chasing, hands gentle. He has a small orange spot on a white front paw; students like finding it.

• Tell me in advance about cat allergies or fear of animals
• Let Mianbao come to the student — no picking up without asking
• He may sit in for part of a lesson; he may also nap through it

When the studio ships a new music mini-game, Mianbao is the one who invites families to try it. The warehouse playhouse is not a metaphor I invented for the website — it is where he actually sits. If you meet him at a trial and later open Beat Game, Who Am I?, or the practice timer at home, you will recognize the cat on the screen.