MSD Wayne Orchestra Instructor Receives State Award
Julie Stuckert is in the midst of helping 23 high school students learn a piece by composer William Hofeldt called “Lullaby,” bar by bar, line by line.
Keeping time with the metronome on her cell phone, she begins in her upbeat voice: “One, two three, ready, set, go!”
She plays seven bars or so on her viola, and the students on her laptop screen follow along with their instruments – violin, viola, cello, and bass – at home. She is successfully teaching young musicians at the Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center a challenging piece of music, entirely virtually. Her strong ability to engage students in spite of the hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic may be one reason the Indiana American String Teachers Association has named Julie its Best New Teacher for 2020.