My Best Mannered Teacher
Several years ago I
discovered the violin and a talent for playing it.
This year I have discovered a wonderful
well-mannered violin teacher. Her name
is Mrs. Sue Taylor.
Every
Monday morning myself
and two other students make the commute over Afton Mountain to her home
studio
in Waynesboro for lessons which means we are with her for three hours
at a
time. She is always promptly waiting for
us at 10:00 AM, is well groomed and prepared to begin our lessons.
Because we are in
her home
for an extended period of time Mrs. Taylor graciously provides space
for each
of us to work on our school assignments until time for our individual
lessons. She also provides a place for
us to prepare and eat our lunches and has shown and told us where to
find things
we might need in the kitchen.
As a
part of every lesson I
am learning about professional conduct and etiquette in relation to
performing
on the violin for any size audience. My
teacher always models this as we play for one another and together. During my lesson Mrs. Taylor is mindful of
giving encouragement and positive reinforcement.
It is
important to Mrs.
Taylor to find out about the kinds of music each student enjoys as well
as the various
interests of her students beyond the violin.
She often uses that information to build word pictures to help
me
understand how a piece of music is to be played.
Because
Mrs. Taylor teaches
in her home there are sometimes distractions like a knock at the door
or a
phone ringing. If she must attend to one
of those she will make it as quick as possible and apologize for taking
away
from the lesson time. She strives to
make the student the priority for the time of the lesson.
For
these reasons I would
like to nominate my violin teacher, Mrs. Sue Taylor, as the “best
mannered
teacher” for my 2008-2009 National League of Junior Cotillion year.
Nathaniel
Sides