The Teacher

Sitting in Karen Hedge’s studio in the Education Center at Shiloh Music, is like visiting a favorite aunt who will find something that you like to do while giving you valuable lessons without you even realizing it.  I found myself daydreaming what my musical life would have been like if Karen had been my first teacher.  It’s not that my first teacher was bad.  She wasn’t at all, but Karen’s studio is a homey room brimming with books and tools of the trade.  It would have drawn me in completely.  I would have been the kid who wanted to play the djembe every week instead of scales.  I would have been dying to play dominoes, and would have absolutely been thrilled over the chance to play my pieces with the full accompaniment of the Roland MT90.  I would have walked around the store, equally fascinated and intimidated by the guitar players jamming on Martins and Paul Reed Smiths.  I would have been proud of my Guild program and of the certificate that she handed me at the Spring recital.  I would have loved the musical choices she gave me, and probably would have made her a little crazy over my insistence to play music that was too difficult.  

I’ve always loved talking about teaching with Karen as long as I’ve known her.  She’s a people-builder who “fell in love with watching these kids learn.”  She’s the type of teacher who bends to the student’s learning needs and allows for bad days.  Karen also holds herself and her students accountable finding methods that work, events that keep students on track and courses of study for her own growth.  She finds music that light fires in students.  She wants them to succeed and refuses to compare students, instead choosing development of individual strengths.  Former students bring their own children to her, and several of her students have become music teachers with two now teaching at the store.  You would think I’m talking about a nice, docile woman in a rocking chair, but Karen is extremely youthful.  She means it when she says she loves what she does!   I suppose raising two sons also kept her on her toes but truly, music teaching is an amazing profession with purpose and deep fulfillment for those meant to do it.  And Karen owes it all to her desire for a James Taylor songbook! 

It isn’t surprising to me that Karen and George were recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce.  This year Karen’s studio is made up of 48 students.  When I asked her many students she has taught over her life, she didn’t want to venture a guess.  I started playing around with numbers and quickly got in over my head, but I don’t think I’m exaggerating by guessing she has taught well over 2000 people and that’s a very careful estimate.  This is the beauty and the responsibility of teaching.  Teachers really have a profound and impactful effect.  

Thank you Karen, and thank you to all music teachers striving to love their students and convey the love of music to everyone.