The Long Range View

Imagine fast forwarding thirty years, and having a dinner with your grown children and their retired music teacher. I had the special opportunity to experience that very moment with one of our ISA families, the Powells, and Eleanor Bricetti, the founder of what was then the Children's String Academy. 

Jenny and Sarah took lessons for the better part of a decade with Ms. Bricetti, and had a unique and meaningful connection as students and teachers. They have kept in touch all these years later, and reveled in sharing about their memories of big group concerts, playing in Halloween costumes, and remembering about all the different students in the program. 

The most touching moment came at the end of the dinner, when Jenny and Sarah's mother, gave Ms. Bricetti a big hug after dinner, and they said how nice it was to reconnect. She looked her in the eye and said "Well, you practically helped me raise my children all those years." 

Hearing those words nearly brought tears to my eyes. How fortunate are we to have these relationships between our families and our teachers in the Suzuki method? And thirty years from now, we won't recall if our child forgot a bow circle in their piece, or played the right chord, but we will remember how special it was to be part of this meaningful and nurturing community where we can help each other raise our children together.