On your journey through life you will have many mentors, coaches, and teachers to guide you on your journey. You do not do it alone! As Coach John Wooden said, "It takes 10 hands to make a basket."
How do you thank them?
When I was a student at the Juilliard School in NYC, I lived at the Coliseum House on West 71street. I met many students, musicians, and professionals.
At the Coliseum House, I met another student from the Juilliard School, Liz (Elizabeth), Hubley from Canada, a wonderfully talented violinist and Concertmaster of the 92nd Y Workshop Orchestra. Liz and I played in a string trio with a cellist friend. She was an inspiring confident mentor leading and modeling the way for the musicians she worked with.
Liz invited me to audition for Maurice Levine, Conductor of the orchestra as there was an opening for Principal viola. I auditioned and won the job. Maurice Levine was an inspiring and motivating conductor with a clear beat and boundless energy to impart the composers’ wishes. He taught us the classic orchestra literature and Broadway theater music. He brought in singers for rehearsals and concerts like Eartha Kitt. He also had his principal players play solos /concertos with the orchestra. I played the Bloch Suite for viola and orchestra one year, and the next year the Walton Viola Concerto for viola and orchestra.
Rehearsals for the 92nd Y Orchestra:
For regular rehearsals each week, our principal bassoonist, Haskell Edelstein, lawyer, tax expert, Banker at V.P. at Citi Bank, would pick up several musicians by car for the early rehearsal at the 92nd Y Orchestra. Haskell was a marvelous bassoonist. He played with a lovely sound and beautiful musical phrasing on his bassoon solos inspiring those around him with a smile and leading the way for us to do our best work. When I played the Walton Viola Concerto with the 92nd Y Orchestra, I remember Haskell’s beautiful bassoon solos. It was like we were playing a lovely duet in the middle of the Walton Viola Concerto. Haskell encouraged, inspired, and motivated the musician around him to do our best. He and his wife became close friends with me and later my husband Allan. We often went out to dinner. When I played my debut in London he and his wife attended the concert in London. We were life long friends and Haskell Edelstein left a legacy of encouraging, motivating, and inspiring others to do their best and pass it on to the next generation!
Playing Solo with the 92nd Y Orchestra:
Conductor Maurice Levine would arrive by taxi, to pick me up for rehearsal when I was playing a solo with his 92nd Y Orchestra and on the way to orchestra rehearsal he had me sing my viola solo as he conducted from the orchestral score. By the time we reached the 92nd Y between 91st-92nd street on Lexington Avenue, we had rehearsed all three movements of the Walton Concerto. Conductor Levine had marked all the tempos to be ready for rehearsal with his orchestra. When we arrived at the orchestra rehearsal, Conductor Levine began working patiently teaching the concerto to the orchestra as I played the solo part with them.
Mr. William Lincer, my viola teacher at the Juilliard School, was the principal violist of the New York Philharmonic and the former principal violist of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. One summer, he sent me to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, on scholarship to study with Mr. Leonard Davis.
Mr. Davis was Mr. Lincer’s stand partner and assistant principal of the NY Philharmonic at the time. (Mr. Davis would later be Principal of the New York Philharmonic. Both Mr. Lincer and Mr. Davis were graduates of the Juilliard School.) That summer we worked on solo viola literature and chamber music. Mr. Davis was an inspiring, encouraging, and motivating teacher and coach who had you playing at your highest level of accomplishment. He also coached my chamber music group on Schubert’s Trout Quintet. After that summer I continued to work with Mr. Davis for several summers on orchestral excerpts. Our Indiana University Orchestra was led by conductor Robert Shaw (Robert Shaw Chorale ,Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus & Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus) and conductor Jose Serebrier. It was a magnificent experience.
Another neighbor and friend I met at the Coliseum House, was David Roseman from California. He was an amazing mathematician, teacher, and talented violinist. David was an inspiring and motivating mentor to other musicians. He believed in others abilities before they believed in themselves and encouraged them to take that next step! He said, “you should call Irving Spice, a marvelous concert violinist, and audition for his Irving Spice Orchestra. After auditioning for Irving Spice, I worked for him for over 5 years. Irving was an inspiring, motivating, and encouraging leader who always inspired us to play our best as a chamber group. It was all about teamwork working together. It was a magnificent experience playing with Irving and his amazing musicians. We played the background for commercial films like IBM, Zina jeans, and played the background music for pop music recordings. I will always be grateful for Irving for hiring me and giving me the opportunity to play with his amazing musicians.
Irving Spice introduced me to Paul Winter, a concert violinist, and teacher, Juilliard graduate who had studied with Dounis. He was the youngest member of the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Toscanini, and later was concertmaster of NBC Orchestra. When I met Paul Winter he was a concert master playing freelance work in New York City and teaching. I studied with Paul learning the Dounis method of playing on my viola. Also, I had the marvelous experience of playing a few musical jobs with Paul as the leader and concertmaster. He was an inspiring, motivating, and encouraging teacher and modeled as a leader helping you reach your full potential.
Loren Glickman “is one of America's foremost bassoon soloists, one of the founding artists of the prestigious Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center”, composer/arranger, author, and teacher. He is the “director of the Glickman-Popkin Bassoon Camp” and has taught at “The Juilliard School, Queens College, Montclair State University and the Canadian National Youth Orchestra.” He also put together chamber music groups and orchestras with talented musicians at Lincoln Center as a contractor for many years encouraging and inspiring musicians to play at their top level. I will always be grateful for Mr. Glickman hiring me and giving me the opportunity to play my viola and work with many fine orchestras, musicians, conductors, and dancers at the Metropolitan Opera’s summer ballet concerts. A few of these groups were the Martha Graham Ballet, La Scala, Bolshoi Ballet, Kirov Ballet, London Royal Ballet, Netherlands Dance Theater, and many others for over 12 years. The conductors, musicians, and dancers were the finest in the world and I am grateful to have had the privilege to work with them. Thank you, Loren Glickman!
On your journey through life, your mentors, teachers, and coaches will help you reach your goals to become the best leader you were meant to be for the next generation!
Pass on the gifts these mentors, teachers, and coaches have taught you. Remember how gracious they were in giving their time, effort, encouragement, believing in you before you believed in yourself! The only way to repay such a gift is to pass on the gifts of encouragement, motivation, and belief, to the generations to come! Passing on their legacy, their torch, to the next generation by remembering and honoring them!
What 3 things can you do to thank your teachers, coaches, and mentors for helping you to reach your goals on your journey through life?
1) Send a note, call them, email them, or text them thanking them for helping you. (Start a journal or note book, begin today, and write in it the names of your teachers, mentors, and coaches who have helped you reach your goals and dreams!
2) How can you show your appreciation? You can show your gratitude and appreciation by writing blogs, articles, videos, or Radio Shows paying tribute to your mentors and teachers for the legacy they have given you. Pass on the torch to the next generation.
3) Every week help someone else by acts of kindness through email, text, letter, or phone.
How does it feel when you help someone else achieve their goal? Do you feel happier and smile?
Remember that if we help others we will be helping ourselves at the same time to grow and improve.
How will you show your gratitude and appreciation for the gifts' others have given you?
Madeline Frank, Ph.D., DTM is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, conductor, and concert artist. She helps businesses and organizations "Tune Up their Business". Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book "Leadership On A Shoestring Budget" is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a virtual speaker contact
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