Moments & Memories (1 of 8): Pre-teaching time

As graduates this month of CMW's Fellowship Program, Rachel and Arlyn were asked to provide several memorable
moments or anecdotes that would shed light on their favorite experiences over
the past two years spent at Community MusicWorks. Their responses are
posted as a series on this blog throughout the month of June.

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Walking into the CMW office on a weekday between 3 and 4 pm, the first impression can be one of utter chaos. The front door opens and shuts constantly for last minute coffee runs and the gathering of extra strings, while a new arrangement for the theme from Star Wars is being edited at a table in the back. The copy machine is running nonstop, audio recorder batteries are being tested, and armloads upon armloads of instruments and music books are being loaded into cars heading to the Met School, Lima Elementary, or the West End Community Center down the street.

It can be a frantic time, but a time which I value immensely. It reminds me that we all care about these details because we’re that invested in the students we’re teaching. No matter how many challenges a student faces, there is never a question of whether or not learning the cello as a part of this community is a worthwhile, positive force in that student’s life. The answer is always "Yes."

Pre-teaching time in the CMW office reminds me that even as we go off to teach in separate rooms and buildings, in some sense, we are all teaching together.

-Rachel Panitch, Fellow (07-09)