SALEH
The song “Putting it Together” (piece by piece, bit by bit ...only way to make a work of art come to life) describes perfectly the last few months of watching Saleh, my son Jack's
music theater teacher, put together a show that won a National Competition and personal award of Best Director.
I have had many chances to study her genius as she, year after year, pulls together 28 rowdy kids, from behind her piano bench, to create music theatre masterpieces. The judges are always amazed when she walks out from behind the stage, where she is playing piano, only to discover that she is also the choreographer, producer, director, voice coach and music director. The Saleh miracle has also attracted 120 students to come before school to be in a choir. Also amazing - she never directs the students during performance. She plays the piano while the hundreds of different pieces and parts run like clockwork.
She trusts they can do it, and they do! The “Saleh Secret” is incorporation and validation. When students have ideas, she not only considers them but often incorporates them into the choreography. She carefully studies the personality and talent of each individual and breathes life into their unique abilities.
Her devotion to her internal principles, as she fashions her “works of art,” is what liberates her students ...and then the magic happens “piece by piece.”
Saleh’s vision brightly beams before her at all times - and as she “lights” up each student by giving them their “chance” - all the lights combine....
and if you drew an all encompassing circle around what she creates, you would find that the real reason it all works, the real reason, is that she truly loves her students - and they know it.
music theater teacher, put together a show that won a National Competition and personal award of Best Director.
I have had many chances to study her genius as she, year after year, pulls together 28 rowdy kids, from behind her piano bench, to create music theatre masterpieces. The judges are always amazed when she walks out from behind the stage, where she is playing piano, only to discover that she is also the choreographer, producer, director, voice coach and music director. The Saleh miracle has also attracted 120 students to come before school to be in a choir. Also amazing - she never directs the students during performance. She plays the piano while the hundreds of different pieces and parts run like clockwork.
She trusts they can do it, and they do! The “Saleh Secret” is incorporation and validation. When students have ideas, she not only considers them but often incorporates them into the choreography. She carefully studies the personality and talent of each individual and breathes life into their unique abilities.
Her devotion to her internal principles, as she fashions her “works of art,” is what liberates her students ...and then the magic happens “piece by piece.”
Saleh’s vision brightly beams before her at all times - and as she “lights” up each student by giving them their “chance” - all the lights combine....
and if you drew an all encompassing circle around what she creates, you would find that the real reason it all works, the real reason, is that she truly loves her students - and they know it.
