McQueen

In high school I had a really influential choir teacher named McQueen. McQueen inspired me, encouraged me, disciplined me, taught me about music and life. And not just me - all his students had similar reactions to him. He commanded our respect first, affection second. We loved him, but knew he didn't put up with our crap. He led our choir in winning national and international awards, but also taught us the importance of respecting, loving, and looking after one another, which is what made us so good. To this day, everytime I sing in front of people, I sing for him. I imagine him in the crowd, and I do my best in effort to honor and impress him. As I write it, I realize it sounds a little creepy that I do that, but it makes me give my all and perform my best, and I think it really says something about the impact he had on me.