Important Announcement from Mr. Todd
Dear Crestdale Strings families and friends,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I will not be returning to Crestdale Middle School next school year. The decision to depart from such an amazing school and community was not easy but was mainly personal in nature. My family is the most important thing to me, and as many of you know, my home is quite a long commute from Crestdale. Time is priceless and the one thing in life that you can’t ever get back once it’s gone. Teaching at a school closer to home will allow me to make the best use of my time for myself, my family, and my work.
The last five years at Crestdale Middle School have been absolutely incredible. I am extremely grateful for my wonderful, talented, hard-working students. You are essentially my second family and have always made me feel special. I have enjoyed working with you and seeing you excel and grow. I love that I have been able to be there for you when you needed me. You demonstrated such bravery and courage through the worst of the pandemic and have come out on top, fully reunited this year. I couldn’t be more proud of how far you all have come! I will always care greatly for each of you and wish you nothing but the very best as you navigate through your high school career or move on to college, careers, and adulthood. Keep playing, keep loving music, and take good care of yourselves. I will miss you!
The orchestra program could not have been nearly as successful without the immense support from the Crestdale school administration. Ms. Schroeder, you are the best — always supportive and encouraging, yet have allowed me the freedom to make the best decisions for the orchestra program and my students.
Finally, I am forever indebted to my fellow Crestdale Arts teachers (here’s looking at you Mr. Best, Ms. Gambrell, Ms. Kieffer, Ms. Adams, and Ms. Hanlon!) along with all of the amazing fine arts teachers who I have had the pleasure of working with at Crestdale. The rest of the elective team and Crestdale Staff has always had my back and has always worked so hard to help support the arts programs at Crestdale: from driving buses, to staying after school, to running out and grabbing something to help a student have a successful performance. Your support, encouragement, mentorship, and friendship in both personal and professional matters mean the world to me and I will never forget you.
As we complete the remaining weeks of this school year, I want to embrace the final experiences we will have together at our final concerts, Rising 6th Grade Night, and our Moving On Ceremony. I will always cherish the memories that have been made at Crestdale Middle School and will keep them with me forever. My heart is filled with gratitude. I will leave you with one final quote, my mantra on why I teach music.
Why I teach music:
Not because I expect you to become a musician,
Not because you want to play the violin all your life,
Not so you can relax or have fun
But:
So you will recognize beauty,
So you will be sensitive
So you will be close to an infinite beyond this world,
I want you to learn to never give up when you encounter difficulty
And I want you to know music you produce is one of a kind
Because you are a very special person
My children when you are ready,
Go out into the world and embrace your dreams!
It is with a heavy heart that I announce that I will not be returning to Crestdale Middle School next school year. The decision to depart from such an amazing school and community was not easy but was mainly personal in nature. My family is the most important thing to me, and as many of you know, my home is quite a long commute from Crestdale. Time is priceless and the one thing in life that you can’t ever get back once it’s gone. Teaching at a school closer to home will allow me to make the best use of my time for myself, my family, and my work.
The last five years at Crestdale Middle School have been absolutely incredible. I am extremely grateful for my wonderful, talented, hard-working students. You are essentially my second family and have always made me feel special. I have enjoyed working with you and seeing you excel and grow. I love that I have been able to be there for you when you needed me. You demonstrated such bravery and courage through the worst of the pandemic and have come out on top, fully reunited this year. I couldn’t be more proud of how far you all have come! I will always care greatly for each of you and wish you nothing but the very best as you navigate through your high school career or move on to college, careers, and adulthood. Keep playing, keep loving music, and take good care of yourselves. I will miss you!
The orchestra program could not have been nearly as successful without the immense support from the Crestdale school administration. Ms. Schroeder, you are the best — always supportive and encouraging, yet have allowed me the freedom to make the best decisions for the orchestra program and my students.
Finally, I am forever indebted to my fellow Crestdale Arts teachers (here’s looking at you Mr. Best, Ms. Gambrell, Ms. Kieffer, Ms. Adams, and Ms. Hanlon!) along with all of the amazing fine arts teachers who I have had the pleasure of working with at Crestdale. The rest of the elective team and Crestdale Staff has always had my back and has always worked so hard to help support the arts programs at Crestdale: from driving buses, to staying after school, to running out and grabbing something to help a student have a successful performance. Your support, encouragement, mentorship, and friendship in both personal and professional matters mean the world to me and I will never forget you.
As we complete the remaining weeks of this school year, I want to embrace the final experiences we will have together at our final concerts, Rising 6th Grade Night, and our Moving On Ceremony. I will always cherish the memories that have been made at Crestdale Middle School and will keep them with me forever. My heart is filled with gratitude. I will leave you with one final quote, my mantra on why I teach music.
Why I teach music:
Not because I expect you to become a musician,
Not because you want to play the violin all your life,
Not so you can relax or have fun
But:
So you will recognize beauty,
So you will be sensitive
So you will be close to an infinite beyond this world,
I want you to learn to never give up when you encounter difficulty
And I want you to know music you produce is one of a kind
Because you are a very special person
My children when you are ready,
Go out into the world and embrace your dreams!
New Students for 2022-2023
Welcome to the Crestdale Strings Family! Please take a moment to look around and explore the website to gather any information you may need. Please check out the link below for more information about the Crestdale String Family and what you need to know for next year! We are excited to have you in our program!
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