My friend, Sheila, passed this book on to me. It reminded me of the movie, Mr. Holland's Opus, starring Richard Dreyfuss....as well as of my own band experience with Mr. Richard Swinsick, a respected musician in the education field who touched hundreds of lives.
Mr. "K", as he was affectionately referred to, came to NJ with memories that he tried to bury of his violent background in war torn Ukraine. Unbeknownst to his students, that baggage made him into the teacher they knew: disciplined, demanding, hopeful, creative, sometimes angry, sometimes tender. It was in the years that he was fleeing for his life, as a young teen --that he heard a violin being played from an open window (one of the only beautiful things he had ever experienced), which instilled in him the dream of being a musician. That dream kept him going and expanded into teaching others to appreciate and "feel the music".
This book was co-written by 2 of his students, one a competent violist and the other his daughter, who became a principal violinist in the Chicago Symphony. Both write in the first person, concurrently weaving each story as the years go by; from their early beginnings at young ages and through to a final concert for Mr. K at his funeral. This is the story of a life-giving man who changed the lives of his students, amidst personal obstacles.
Mr. Swinsick also brightened our lives, by expecting the best from us; by urging us to pick ourselves up when we "failed" at solo & ensembles; by building a team that depended on one another in marching and concert season; and by fully giving of himself. Both of these men, as well as countless other music teachers, knew that music would change us and make us better....for all of our lives.
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