Student of the Month: August 2024 Edition
As summer break comes to an end, it’s time to get ourselves focused for the school semester. With that in mind, I give you two Students of the Month who have been recognized for their work ethic and dedication. They also love playing guitar, not because they have to, but because it is so much fun. Let’s carry this energy with us into the school year, shall we?!
Jonah Whiteside
Allow me to introduce you to Jonah Whiteside, the Lego-loving, pocket watch collecting, die cast car enthusiast. When not swimming, hiking, or dreaming about traveling to Europe or Japan, he loves to play guitar. Indeed, he has taken guitar lessons for about two and a half years with Dustin.
Though he likes to play around with the electric guitar, Jonah focuses primarily on acoustic. His favorite genre of music right now is indie rock. He enjoys guitar because of all the different techniques you can play with and learn. Jonah finds that the process of practicing guitar helps to keep him calm and happy.
Dustin enjoys having Jonah as a student because of how hard Jonah works. Dustin is also impressed with Jonah’s willingness to try challenging tasks. He loves watching Jonah’s dedication translate into progress. Says Dustin: “He practices everyday, always has a good attitude coming into lessons, and seems to have a general love and interest in music and the instrument!”
Luis Duffey
Our next Student of the Month is an example of what courage and hard work can attain. Here is Luis in one story: He used to have an intense fear of swimming. Even though it was very difficult, Luis chose to face that fear by going to swimming lessons. He told me that the first swimming lessons were pure terror. He kept at it and eventually the fear started to diminish to the point where he now lists swimming as one of his favorite hobbies.
Luis has been taking guitar lessons with Will for about 6 months. Luis loves playing guitar because it’s fun! Says Luis: “I come back happy every week because I have a good time.” Luis enjoys the beat that he finds in music. Every song has a beat and he likes to create that with the guitar. His favorite songs so far? Most definitely Jurassic Park and James Bond.
Will absolutely loves having Luis as a student because of his enthusiasm and engagement in each lesson. Will appreciates Luis’s great listening skills and positive attitude. He was impressed that Luis performed at the Spring Showcase after only a few months of lessons. According to Will, “he’s killing it!”
- Danielle Parker