Past Teacher Awards
The 2009 Selection: Corey Averill
Pictured above: Corey Averill, PYP's Selection for the Mary V. Dodge 2009
Outstanding School Music Teacher, and Mary Evans,
the students who nominated him.
Submission by: Mary Evans
School: Portland Waldorf School
Music Teacher: Mr. Corey Averill
Class: 7th/8th Grade Orchestra
I am in 8th grade at the Portland Waldorf School and I would like to nominate my orchestra teacher, Corey Averill, for this award. At my school everyone starts violin in 3rd grade. That was the first class I had with Mr. Averill and he quickly became one of my favorite teachers and a favorite of many of my classmates as well.
Mr. Averill makes learning fun. He loves to tell stories about his two children and about being a professional cellist. He is also very good at letting everyone work at their own level as long as they do their best. Since everyone is required to play an instrument at my school, it is sometimes hard to keep everyone motivated. But Mr. Averill always believes in every single one of us, even those who don't really want to be there. His enthusiasm inspires all his students to be the best that they can be, those who come to class with a passion for music, and those who do not.
No matter how busy he is (and he is always very busy) he always finds time outside of class to work with those of us who want to move farther ahead. Over the five years I have had Mr. Averill for a teacher, I have been part of two small chamber groups that he organized, a violin quartet and a string quartet, and I know that there have been others as well. He often has us perform to inspire the younger grades and even our own classes. Sometimes he performs for us and invites other professional musicians to play as well. He is always very enthusiastic both about the chamber groups and about his regular classes. I think that it is this enthusiasm, his faith in all students, his dedication, his kindness, and his funny personality that make Mr. Averill such a great and inspirational teacher. I think he really deserves this award because he truly is an outstanding music teacher!
The 2008 Selection: Dave Matthys
Pictured above: Dave Matthys with Executive Director, Diane Syrcle
Submission by: Michael Lee and Alex Van Rysselberghe
School: Lake Oswego High School
Music Teacher: Dave Matthys
Mr. Matthys came to Lake Oswego High School five years ago as the new director of the band program. The second year he was at our school he took the band to the stwon our district band contest for the first time in school history. We took an unprecedented 4th place at the state competition last year. He basically builate competition for the first time ever. Last year and this year our band has t the band program at my school from nonexistence into a state music powerhouse. Hearing all of these achievements, you would think that Mr. Matthys is strict, or harshly demanding of his students. Instead, as anyone that knows him could tell you, Mr. Matthys is one of the nicest, gentlest teachers I've ever had. At the same time he inspires a love of music and dedication to the band program in everyone that takes his classes. He does not put any emphasis on competition for competition's sake, but rather on the satisfaction gained from performing at our very best. Music always comes first with Matthys, and our pursuit of perfection is accompanied by a sense of community and harmony within the band itself. Dave Matthys has been one of the most significant influences on me during my high school career, and I couldn't think of anyone better to fit the description for this award.
-Michael Lee
I'm Alex Van Rysselberghe, co-principal percussionist in PYP, and I nominate my school's (Lake Oswego High School) band director, Dave Matthys. He has been at LO for the past five years, in which he has miraculously turned a failing music program around. Before his arrival, the band was made of an unmotivated student body. It had almost no support from band parents. When Dave Matthys took the job, the very year he started was a year of new beginnings. For the first time in decades, the band went to state. He instantly connected with students, and gained their support, making the entire experience of learning music fun, interesting, team-oriented, and most of all enjoyable. Both students and parents quickly grew to like him with his laid-back style yet mature and professional manner. Over the years since, the program has only improved. Last year the band took fourth place in state and had the experience to play very different literature from which everyone learned and grew. This year he leads one of the states best high school bands. However, competition is not important to him as is the experience of learning and playing music as a large family. As he said earlier this year to me, which many of my friends quickly agreed with, "this years band has the highest percentage of enthusiaestic, music-loving students you will find at any high." He feels this is the most important factor to a good program: learning to play music and having fun doing it.
Mr. Matthys' teaching style is one that creates a welcoming environment for all skill levels yet still offers challenges to the most experienced students. He has years of experience that makes him a very knowledgeable teacher. His instruction as a conductor is also very team oriented, which I believe is most important. Not only does he promote the "family" aspect of the band , but he teaches in a way so that he is always working with us. Never does he talk down to everyone or act like a superior teacher or musician. Every step of every journey is one made as a group, in which he is no more or less important than the other students are.
I apologize for the lengthy email, but I highly recommend Mr. Matthys' consideration for this award. His work and dedication make him without a doubt deserving of nomination. Also, he has built one of the few programs in the state that, if given several free tickets to an orchestra concert, all of the students would want to go!
-Alex Van Rysselberghe
