To Whom It May Concern: I am one of Lindsey Bruno's former students and I would like to put in my recommendation that she receive the honor ofTeacher ofthe Year. I graduated from North Stafford High School in 2008 and am now a junior in college studying Music Education. I had Mrs. Bruno (then, Ms. Strauss) for three years in high school-my sophomore through senior years. She was by far the teacher who impacted me the most in high school and one of my chief reasons and inspirations for choosing the career path I am on today. When I started choir in my sophomore year of high school, it was Mrs. Bruno's first year teaching choir. She did not face an easy task; she wasn't much older than some of the senior girls in my class, and she was following a teacher who was very well-liked and had developed a large program based mostly on her popularity with the students. Naturally, Mrs. Bruno met with a lot of resistance from the older students if she tried to do anything differently. She rose to the challenge and managed to appease the older students by keeping some traditions, while at the same time beginning to build a program of her own. When I go back now and watch my younger sister perform in choirs and see the huge and successful program she has built, it amazes me to see how much she has accomplished in such a relatively short time. Through the next two years she became a sort of mentor figure to myself and other students. When I needed a place to hide and to cry, her office was where I knew I would be safe. However, she always maintained the line of respect and strove to avoid becoming just a "buddy." Another teacher in the department had a reputation for being popular with the students, but disliked by the parents for her unprofessionalism. Mrs. Bruno was liked by the students and respected by the parents for her organization, dedication, and treatment of the classroom as a professional place. While I knew I could talk to her about my problems or go to her for help, I also looked up to her as my teacher. She wasn't just a good leader, however; she inspired students to take leadership. I participated in an after-school group that was student-lead, and while she was there to help us, she allowed us to grow and learn as a group by teaching each other. She also gave us chances in class to lead warm-ups and act as section leaders, which was a great incentive to do well. Mrs. Bruno went above and beyond in her role as teacher in many ways for the music department. She increased parent participation in Choral Boosters by always being organized and on the ball; she would have plans for the year typed out, including exactly how they could help and what dates they would be needed. She creatively thought of new types of concerts to have and ways to increase student participation in the program. She stayed after school with multiple student singing groups and went on weekend choral trips to Chicago and Disney World. As for mastery of content area, Mrs. Bruno is very competent and talented. She is a skilled pianist and vocalist, and taught me so much while I studied under her. She always selected a wide variety of music for us to learn and gave us challenging repertoire that stretched
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us and helped us grow. My parents always left our choir concerts impressed by what they heard. She taught us technical skills like sol-feg and sight-reading, and also helped improve our ears by having us sing a cappella (without accompaniment). She went on to further her education with a Masters in Music Education after I left, and so I know she is even more skilled than when I had her. As I said before, Mrs. Bruno became a mentor figure to many of us. It was the memory of this relationship which inspired me to study Music Education in the hopes ofbecoming a choir teacher myself someday. I want to be to my students what Mrs. Bruno was to me: not only someone to learn from but someone to talk to and go to in times of need. As I decide now how I am going to run my classroom in the future, I think of her often and draw from her examples. I hope that when I am a young new teacher I can gain the respect of my students and be brave like she was. When I build a program, I hope that I will be as creative, dedicated and organized. I hope that when students need a place to go, my office will always be open, as hers was. I believe that Mrs. Bruno is a very worthy candidate for this honor, and hope that this information was helpful in making your decision. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Sara Tyer tyersh@vcu.edu