Articles

Getting young kids to commit to the idea that practice makes perfect isn't always easy. They have short attention spans.

But, music teacher Paula Williams of High Meadows School in Roswell has a way of getting them to focus and the result is music to the ears.

This kind of harmonious sound takes work and these children are truly dedicated musicians.

They're a few of the 33 students who spent six months perfecting their sound to perform at the Georgia Music Educators Convention in Savannah last December Williams' under the creative talents.

"They had an amazing performance," recounts Williams. "They got standing ovations and encores. So it was a really great experience for the kids."

It's also a great tribute to the gifts Williams gives children at the High Meadows School in Roswell.

"My daughter is barely nine years old and to think she has stuck with something six months, never once complained, always walks out of here grinning ear to ear," said her mother, Angela Freeman.

It's the devotion Williams has had to teaching children important life lessons through music that evokes emotion from grateful parents.

"Not only has she taught our children music and creativity," shared mom, Diana Hoyt, as tears filled her eyes. "But, she has taught them respect and morals and teamwork and discipline and all those things you want for your child."

It begins with the preschoolers she teaches. Williams' own love of music began at an early age.

"My mom says when I was a kid, I used to pull out the pots and pans and bang on them and say 'cook a bean, cook a bean'," said Williams.

She started with drums and now plays and teaches all instruments.

She believes creating music together is a natural way to impart in children a sense of cooperation and unity.

"The things she has taught them will stay with them forever,” said Hoyt.