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Music teacher remembered

To the editor:

Julia Darling (now of Tiffin) and I are just two of the thousands of students Donna Davis influenced during her life, but she was one in a million. She said and did many things that we remember, and much more that we don’t. She even taught us a few things, but not always what she expected. We heard “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” this Christmas and couldn’t help but think of her and playing the chorus on the glockenspiel with the wrong notes removed so we wouldn’t mess up. We can’t sit at a piano without playing chopsticks, the first piano tune she taught us. She has been making music in heaven since Jan. 1. We loved her and miss her dearly.

“Music Lessons”

What she said was: Do not put your music on the floor.

What she taught me was that music was precious.

What she did was: Slowly roll the piano from one end of the school to the gym so that it didn’t go out of tune.

What she taught me was that even big things need to be treated with care.

What she said was: Don’t scratch the sandpaper together, you’ll start a fire.

What she taught me was: Be still, don’t mess around just because you have something new in your hands.

What she did was: Gave the girl with the dress on the princess’s part.

What she taught me was that dressing up can make you special.

She made girls and boys partner up and learn, of all things, square dancing, and she taught me that boys didn’t have cooties and that “old music” is fun.

She showed me how to count the confusing rhythms using “tee-tees” and “tas,” and she taught me that even the most difficult situations can be looked at simply.

She included everyone – good singers, poor singers, enthusiastic kids and uninterested ones – in the Christmas and Thanksgiving pageants, and she taught me inclusivity and equality.

Two students formed the “gate” to the graveyard, and I learned the importance of imagination.

She taught us music, we learned to live.

Jennifer Darling-Mellott

Ashland

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