For thirteen years, I have gone through multitudes of teachers, but you are the one that stuck out to me the most.
Being in your class was the highlight of my high school career. Having a music director as a teacher was the best, because they taught you more than just how to read music, or play an instrument. Here are a few reasons as to why you have impacted my life in a positive way.
You taught me more than just music,
You taught me how to be a genuine person. For an hour each day, I learned how to read music, expanded on my playing ability, and also got to learn valuable life lessons. When we'd take a break from our piece, you would tell us about something that happened in another class or back at home, and it would show me how to act or react in certain situations. I learned how to be great- because of you.
You made sure I was okay when I was broken.
In any other class I had, if I was sad, I would just sit in the back and everyone would keep to themselves. In band, if I came into the room with any hint of being sad, you would make sure I was okay. If I was crying in my seat, you would let me head outside to catch my breath, or join me to ask what is going on. You understood that mental health is important, because you dealt with it when you were my age as well. Nothing ever stopped you from making sure any student, yours or not, was okay.
You taught me to treat others with the utmost respect.
You did NOT allow bullying in any way, shape, or form. If a kid was being harassed, you would step right in and end it on the spot. Kids in the music area think and act differently than others, which was quite shocking when I noticed it for the first time. Many people in the program suffer with mental illnesses, and you made sure to let everyone in your classes know how to treat someone. You stood up for yourself when you were bullied in high school, and you never stopped standing for other victims. You taught me to be strong in front of bullies, and to treat others the way I want to be.
You made sure everyone was doing everything they could to be the best they could be.
No matter the challenge, you made us fight through it to come out the best version of ourselves. Whether it was music, homework or family issues, you made sure we were doing our best with keeping up and progressing. Our music program thrived because of you, and how you taught us more than music. The confidence you had in us radiated throughout the music, and we achieved greatness.
The music was definitely the greatest thing to learn. Being able to play through pieces I used to dream of made me feel on top of the world. I went from quitting band, joining again and barely knowing any notes in the beginning of high school, to being in the top band by my senior year and playing entirely through upper level pieces. I learned to be kind and caring to anyone, and to not be afraid to stand out to help someone who needs it. You taught me all of the traits, which made me the person I am today. Fortunately, I had two amazing teachers, and I will forever love them. So, thank you Holmes and Gottwig, you two changed my life.
