Singing Changed His Life.
Dear Dylan’s Elementary School Music Teacher,
I may have mentioned it over the years, but I am not sure I’ve ever fully given you the credit you’re due. My son, Dylan, was the lion in the second grade performance of The Lion and the Mouse about a million years ago. I think it was your first year teaching at his school. Dylan had a solo song. Here is the video link, as a reminder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPDkCrjKFLA
That class of second graders graduated last year.
Every time I watch that video, I remember Dylan telling me about the audition process. Every week, he would come home and tell me about music class, about singing this song all by himself. And then he would say that you asked other kids to sing, too. Dylan had no idea why he was singing, but I figured out that he must be auditioning for something. And after several weeks, he was lucky enough to get the part of the lion.
At the time, I had no idea what a big deal it was – but Dylan had a tough run through elementary school. He has ADHD and most teachers didn’t understand him. Music became the one positive thing in his life and he started taking voice lessons in 3rd grade. Long story short, this is Dylan in 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrgZ-AsRBm0
He’s got lots and lots of videos online now. I’m not sharing so that you will respond – there really is no need. I’m sharing because Dylan’s school career was almost unbearable at times – but singing changed his life. He is now headed to Belmont University, a very nice music school, and he’s planning to work in the music industry.
If you had chosen someone else for that lion role, I’m not sure Dylan would have taken the same path. Maybe he would have – but maybe it was just the thought that someone cared enough to ask him to sing in front of the whole class that helped him on his way.
Now that I am a substitute teacher, I have a tiny taste of how much work you do for very little reward. But in this case, in Dylan’s case, your choices and your efforts made a sincere difference in his life, and I thought you deserved to know that. You gave him a spark of hope, that something good existed at school, that he could do SOMEthing well. And he’s carried that spark with him for 10 years.
So THANK YOU – for choosing him, for having some faith in him at the age of 8, and for teaching him. It HAS made a difference! Thanks so much.