We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us; and I am very proud to have stood on Liz’s shoulders.
My relationship with Liz stretches back 30 years – ranging from teacher and student (or Sensei and Minisom as we called ourselves back from a semester when she proctored a remote Japanese class in the 90’s) to mentor - when we would discuss music and what songs would be in my latest concert, to friend – when we’d talk about life, updates on others, health, and the latest sports news.
I could detail story….after story…………after story which would exemplify our relationship, but I think one word would sum them all up and is what I will remember the most: laughter. Virtually every time we spoke or saw each other, regardless of time or topic, something would set us into hysterics; even if that something happened 20 years ago, we would tell the story and laugh as though it happened only 20 minutes ago.
One important moment for me which I do want to share occurred when I was just out of High School and was about to embark on my first music directing gig. I was visiting with Liz at her home in Boyertown and we were, naturally, going through piles music. She said to me, “Minisom, I want you to have this” – it was a book on choral conducting that her musical mentor, Peg Lamb, had used in college and had passed it on to her.
I read this book cover to cover, and it helped me learn the basics of choral conducting before I even took my first college class in music.
We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. I feel honored have known both Peg and Liz. (Liz and I even sang together in Peg’s Boyertown community choir after I graduated.) It’s rare, I believe, to actually know a lineage of musical mentorship like I’ve known, and to have been given the textbook that taught them both, is a very special treasure.
Since being a mentor and passing along knowledge to those who come after was important to Peg, to Liz, and to me – I feel that I can say this on behalf of all three of us:
If your mentor is still around, pick up your phone and call them; talk, laugh, reminisce, but above all - tell them how much they mean to you.
We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.
Thank you for your shoulders, Sensei.
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