I had the great privilege for a short time in my life to
be part of a musical ensemble that was led by a director who refused to settle
for mediocrity. I don’t have any memories of him praising our work or telling
us we performed well. Maybe he did sometimes, but that’s not what stands out.
What remains in my mind about those four years was his sense of striving, his
brow-beating us to work harder and achieve more, his sarcasm when we
underperformed out of laziness or weariness. Some might think of him as
somewhat abusive. There was no shortage of tears during the year and he was at
times prone to inappropriately berating his students. And we were just kids,
after all. But what we achieved musically, spiritually, and socially is
something that has gone unmatched in my adult life. A lot of students came out
of that experience encouraged to go on to music school. Some of them are
professional musicians. They all have him to thank in at least some small part
for it.
