James Wilson, a high school senior and trombone student who studied with me, passed away yesterday afternoon. I feel extremely fortunate to have known and been able to work with James. His energy, dedication, work ethic, determination and passion were abundant and infectious. Like all of the relationships I have with my students, I feel I learned as much from him as I hope he did from me. In his lessons, James was serious and focused. He took notes, stared at his music (obviously replaying lines in his head while I rambled on about something or other), and still managed to pull off what I asked of him. And he did it all with commitment, flair and emotion beyond his years. I will miss James immensely.
