So about this weekend…
Friday night, my amazing wife Mandy Mikita Scott was announced as the 2024 MSVMA Teacher of the Year. MSVMA awards one vocal music educator in Michigan each year who:
- has taught a minimum of 15 years, at least 10 of which are on the secondary level in Michigan
- has demonstrated consistent excellence in performance
- has been influential in creating a love and understanding of music for the masses
When they started reading the bio of the Teacher of the Year recipient, I started weeping as soon as I recognized it. I wept happy tears because Mandy Scott is just the most remarkable teacher I’ve ever known.
This job is a calling, and one Mandy answered and keeps answering. No one has watched Mandy teach up close more than me – since her first day teaching in Mendon, Michigan and through all the amazing music around the world and at home with the Grosse Pointe North Choirs and Rockford Choirs. I have seen the joy and I have seen the sleepless nights with the weight of this job. And I have seen the love she has poured into so many lives! Mandy is simply the best – and since this sort of honor is never guaranteed for even the finest teachers, I am so glad MSVMA members also recognize what I’ve seen up close. So many of the people in that room feel like extended family.
It was a joyful miracle that it happened in 2024 because all three of our precious children were with us when her name was announced because they were all singing in MSVMA Honors Choirs. As much as Mandy and I pour into the jobs we love, we pour more into these beautiful three. That they got to see Mandy recognized by her other family, MSVMA, was so perfect.
I sure love being on this journey with you, Mandy.
