Megan's Letter

July 30, 2013

To Whom It May Concern:

            Megan Moncrief has served the past five weeks as my volunteer student teacher in Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala, helping me teach over 50 beginning piano students daily, Monday through Thursday, each week. She has received no reimbursement for her work, although we have had great weekend excursions!

            Since this has been the greatest teaching challenge of my life, I know it has to have been challenging for Megan as well, but she has seen it through to the end of the course. Every morning she was ready to leave by 8:30 a.m., helping to set up the church where we taught, and working with me until 5:30 p.m. each day, then helping to take down and put away the teaching materials and eight keyboards.

            We had one group of eight children aged five to seven years that needed their own class while their parents had a class of their own. These children would have loved learning to play the piano, but there weren’t enough keyboards, so Megan took on the challenge of helping them learn to count, sing songs, and learn the names of keys using paper keyboards.

            During our three-hour morning adult class, one mother came with her young daughter and toddler son. The first day this mother left the class and was walking home with her two children because they were disruptive. Our host picked her up and brought her back to the church, telling her she didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. Megan took on the challenge without being asked of daily entertaining this little girl and some days both children while at the same time trying to help with the adult students. Some days when the children became extremely inquisitive, Megan would simply pick them up by the feet and swing them gently upside-down, which they loved! Because Megan was willing to tend these children, the mother stayed in the class, progressed quickly, and will now be our main resource in keeping the other students practicing.

            Megan helped me make teaching materials. She frequently played the piano to help the students perform in unison on their keyboards. Using headphones, she listened to and encouraged all 50 students in learning to play a variety of songs. She was willing to share her beautiful singing voice, even though the words were in Spanish, to help with the learning process.  She often pointed to charts while students practiced the songs. Megan has a lively sense of humor, which endeared the students of all ages to her. I know that her kindness and patience helped them learn and progress.

            Megan has my sincere praise for giving her summer to teaching these students and changing their lives.

Debra Hadfield, NCTM

President and Founder of Music Amigos, Inc.