Then: Laura graduated with a masters in viola performance from NEC in 2018 and has been teaching Suzuki lessons and group classes at NEC Prep since 2017. She is a committed teacher, filling her days teaching private lessons in violin and viola at NEC as well as violin ensemble and Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes.

Now: When everything went virtual last spring, Laura’s lesson and group classes necessarily moved to Zoom. While she continues to spend hours every day working with her students, she worries about what they are losing by not having live instruction or a chance to play with others. Laura writes “Artistic collaboration nurtures compassionate children. Before this crisis my students played together weekly. They learned to celebrate each other, breathe together, listen to one another, and above all, respect one another. Covid is turning musicianship into a necessarily solitary pursuit. Musicians sacrifice individualism to come together and create a collective experience that exceeds the sum of its players. This is what defines our industry, and why many of us do what we do. I hope that my young students will remember how to play together when this is all over.”

Hope: By plodding along virtually, Laura is able to offer the necessary instruction and feedback to keep her students’ progress moving forward. She can’t wait for them to take their new skills back into the group setting, where she will be able to refocus her teaching on collaboration, compassion, and listening.

Laura Williamson

Will Dailey

Allyson Gray Michal