Student of the Month: NOVEMber 2024 Edition
As this month for gratitude kicks off, I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to sit down with this month’s Students of the Month. Not only do they show amazing musical growth and aptitude, they also showcase the joy that is essential to the exploration of music. It was a pleasure to learn about both of them. Take a look!
Thomas Cox
I am very excited to introduce Thomas Cox, a super cool, down-to-earth, incredibly kind student. This stylish, fedora-loving 7th grader currently plays guitar but also aspires to learn bass. (For the record, Thomas owns approximately 13 fedoras and rocks all of them.) He is a lover of blues music as well as anything from the 60s and 70s. Thomas enjoys how you can put chords together in so many different ways to create a variety of songs. He is currently learning “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes, one of his mom’s favorite songs.
Thomas not only plays guitar but has also started writing his own music. He enjoys bringing new pieces of music into existence. For him, music is a way to express his feelings. He finds music particularly useful when you need to express things that feel hard to say out loud.
Will not only enjoys having Thomas as a student due to his focus and engagement during lessons. Will is inspired by how quickly Thomas is learning guitar skills. Not only are Thomas’s guitar skills impressive, Will also just enjoys Thomas as a human being. He looks forward to the conversations they have during lessons and appreciates the relationship they are building.
Andres Grajeda
If you’re looking for someone to reignite your zest for life, look no further than Andres Grajeda. This 2nd grader is an upbeat fan of just about everything! From soccer and golf, to painting and doing science, Andres is always ready for the next great adventure.
Andres is currently learning both guitar and drums with Ezra. When asked why he likes these instruments, he responded, “I just like having fun with them!” He also particularly enjoys hitting the drums as hard as he can. He loves learning about different beats and notes and how they can turn into songs. Overall, he describes himself as a big fan of music because all of the sounds make him very happy.
Ezra looks forward to his lesson with Andres every week. In Ezra’s words: “He’s an incredibly hard worker and he practices at home every day. He challenges me with what to show him next because he always practices so hard he advances beyond what my plans for him are. Seeing him grow from not being able to play a note to rocking a whole show in Summer Sessions was one of my proudest moments as a teacher ever.” If anyone else’s heart just melted, you’re not alone. Can’t wait to watch your progress, Andres!
- Danielle Parker