Laura Gussoff Brown
Like so many of you, I have been quietly reading these posts and thinking about Mr. Trautwein and Blind Brook, deeply moved but not quite sure what I wanted to say. Blind Brook was a very happy time for me. I loved it all- my peers, the academic classes, the teachers and, of course, consort choir, the musicals and Mr.Trautwein. Maybe because of that, I found the transition to a big university harder than I anticipated. I remember feeling disconnected in those large lecture halls of 300 - sometimes I could barely make out the professor’s face! How different it was from the close relationships we all enjoyed with teachers at Blind Brook.
Eventually, I found mentors in college, but it took many tries and some real assertiveness. What strikes me now is that I may not have persisted in searching for those mentors if I hadn’t experienced close relationships with teachers at Blind Brook. They were the model and I am so grateful to all the teachers for their example.
I can’t read these posts without wishing I had contacted Mr.Trautwein later in life to tell him how much he meant to me. In his honor, I won’t let that happen again. So…. thank you Patti Stern, my first guitar teacher! You may not remember this, but you were the one who first told me about Mr. Trautwein, encouraged me to join choir, and made me believe I belonged there. Thank you Del Shortliffe, for teaching me to write (persuasive essays crystallized for me in the Lord of the Flies mock trial). Thanks, too, for your analysis of Springsteen’s lyrics – priceless to a teenager obsessed with “the boss”. Thank you Bill Johnson, for encouraging me to take risks (in my college essay, for example). Whenever it’s time to roll the dice, I think of you and roll a little more easily. Linda Pejkovic, thank you for encouraging me to reach beyond my skill level for the sheer pleasure of it. I will never forget how you encouraged me to make clothes that were too difficult, knowing full well you’d eventually have to rip out seams and help me on your own time.
And, Mr. Trautwein, thank you for giving me great joy and for the big ideas you embodied that guide me to this day:
There is no substitute for being prepared. Practice until it’s perfect. Then practice a little bit more.
Good behavior and manners matter. Don’t let them lapse. You’ll regret it.
Every voice in the choir must be heard. Don’t forget to listen as you sing.
Speak with love and humor and your message will be well received.
And most importantly, the show WILL go on. Make sure you get out there and participate!
Thank you all for taking me back to a magical time. I loved every song we performed together, but the words that keep coming to me are from a simple West Side Story song we sang in middle school – “…one hand, one heart, even death won’t part us now”. Love to all and to Mr. Trautwein.
Laura Gussoff Brown
My daughter's favorite saying of mine - which is a direct Trauty rip off - is "That's rude, crude and unattractive!". She thinks it's such a funny phrase, it stops her in her tracks no matter what she's doing and reduces her to giggles. I think that's what Mr. Trautwein did best. Teach us to be our best selves with discipline, humor and love. I will miss him terribly. I wish I had been in closer touch with him in these final years.
On the night he died (the 18th), I was having a girls night in the city with Kim Auslander. I only get to do that once a year if I'm lucky - and now I can't help but think how odd that it coincided with his passing. Anyway, we were remembering high school and, of course, we spent plenty of time remembering concert choir and Mr. Trautwein. Trauty, I hope you know how beloved you were to so many and how your influence continues. Rest in peace and comfort to all those who loved him.
Like so many of you, I have been quietly reading these posts and thinking about Mr. Trautwein and Blind Brook, deeply moved but not quite sure what I wanted to say. Blind Brook was a very happy time for me. I loved it all- my peers, the academic classes, the teachers and, of course, consort choir, the musicals and Mr.Trautwein. Maybe because of that, I found the transition to a big university harder than I anticipated. I remember feeling disconnected in those large lecture halls of 300 - sometimes I could barely make out the professor’s face! How different it was from the close relationships we all enjoyed with teachers at Blind Brook.
Eventually, I found mentors in college, but it took many tries and some real assertiveness. What strikes me now is that I may not have persisted in searching for those mentors if I hadn’t experienced close relationships with teachers at Blind Brook. They were the model and I am so grateful to all the teachers for their example.
I can’t read these posts without wishing I had contacted Mr.Trautwein later in life to tell him how much he meant to me. In his honor, I won’t let that happen again. So…. thank you Patti Stern, my first guitar teacher! You may not remember this, but you were the one who first told me about Mr. Trautwein, encouraged me to join choir, and made me believe I belonged there. Thank you Del Shortliffe, for teaching me to write (persuasive essays crystallized for me in the Lord of the Flies mock trial). Thanks, too, for your analysis of Springsteen’s lyrics – priceless to a teenager obsessed with “the boss”. Thank you Bill Johnson, for encouraging me to take risks (in my college essay, for example). Whenever it’s time to roll the dice, I think of you and roll a little more easily. Linda Pejkovic, thank you for encouraging me to reach beyond my skill level for the sheer pleasure of it. I will never forget how you encouraged me to make clothes that were too difficult, knowing full well you’d eventually have to rip out seams and help me on your own time.
And, Mr. Trautwein, thank you for giving me great joy and for the big ideas you embodied that guide me to this day:
There is no substitute for being prepared. Practice until it’s perfect. Then practice a little bit more.
Good behavior and manners matter. Don’t let them lapse. You’ll regret it.
Every voice in the choir must be heard. Don’t forget to listen as you sing.
Speak with love and humor and your message will be well received.
And most importantly, the show WILL go on. Make sure you get out there and participate!
Thank you all for taking me back to a magical time. I loved every song we performed together, but the words that keep coming to me are from a simple West Side Story song we sang in middle school – “…one hand, one heart, even death won’t part us now”. Love to all and to Mr. Trautwein.
Laura Gussoff Brown
My daughter's favorite saying of mine - which is a direct Trauty rip off - is "That's rude, crude and unattractive!". She thinks it's such a funny phrase, it stops her in her tracks no matter what she's doing and reduces her to giggles. I think that's what Mr. Trautwein did best. Teach us to be our best selves with discipline, humor and love. I will miss him terribly. I wish I had been in closer touch with him in these final years.
On the night he died (the 18th), I was having a girls night in the city with Kim Auslander. I only get to do that once a year if I'm lucky - and now I can't help but think how odd that it coincided with his passing. Anyway, we were remembering high school and, of course, we spent plenty of time remembering concert choir and Mr. Trautwein. Trauty, I hope you know how beloved you were to so many and how your influence continues. Rest in peace and comfort to all those who loved him.
