My time in Haiti this past summer was the most incredible and rewarding experience I have ever had. I have so much I want to write about, but it’s hard to describe to anyone who wasn’t there or who hasn’t gone before. When I tell people that I spent 3 weeks continuously sweating, speaking and teaching in a foreign language, and had a great time, they often have a hard time understanding why I want to go back every summer. I taught two theory classes to students of a variety of ages and levels, a violin sectional, private lessons, a violin ensemble, tutored theory, and conducted and ran rehearsals all in my strange mixture of the French I remembered from high school and the Kreyol I learned before going. The first day of camp was one of the most stressful and frustrating days for me because of all of these things I had to do. My first theory classes were a disaster! I could barely control the students and my Kreyol was less than stellar. As the days passed my language skills increased as did my confidence, and after the first week and a half I had little trouble teaching a 45 minute lesson in Kreyol. I will always remember how proud I was of the progress my lower level theory students made in those 3 weeks. Students who could not read any clef other than the one they played in and didn’t know what intervals or triads were could read any note in any clef, identify and construct scales, intervals, and triads by the end of the camp. I have so many other amazing stories just like this one, memories that I will never forget. This is not to say that everything was always wonderful and amazing. We only had electricity and running water at night and I really did sweat continuously the whole time. There was no running water from Saturday morning to Sunday night and the mosquitoes were vicious. I got heat rash, had digestive problems, and smelt burning garbage everyday, but none of it was enough to keep me from returning next summer. The excitement of the students and their hunger for knowledge and instruction is infectious. Even now back in Appleton, two months later, I still think of Haiti nearly every day and the things I can do or bring for next summer. Teaching in Haiti is not for everyone, but for those who are passionate about music and teaching and are not afraid of a challenge, this is something to seriously consider.
