Martha Abbott Baker writes:
From Michele Leder of Goldsboro:
Wow. this is sad news. I had a crush on Mr. Trautwein when I was in high school I just did. He was an amazing person. I have so many memories of him and they started in 6th grade. When I was in sixth grade he was putting on the Mikado. He needed a small person to carry the sword across the stage and somehow I got picked to be the child who did it. It was my first time being in front of a "real" audience and I must have loved it because I was in the Goldmasquers all during high school. He made me feel that I did a good job. It was so special for me. He was so strict. I NEVER got into trouble in high school, until one day in Chorus. He must have told me not to talk and I must have been talking because he sent me to the principal's office. The ONLY time I ever got into trouble in school. You can well imagine I did NOT talk in Chorus after that!!
He had an incredible ear for sound. i really had no voice to speak of and couldn't sing, but I loved to sing so he let me, but I will never forget one year during a Christmas concert he looked straight at me standing on the front row with about a hundred other kids and he pointed to me to point out that I was off key. I immediately started to just mouth the words instead of singing them. It was sort of hurtful, but the truth was I couldn't sing and he saved me years of embarrassment by teaching me that early on. He knew I was more of an actress than a singer. He was real, honest, demanding, caring, an all out INCREDIBLE teacher. He left a great legacy in all those kids he taught.
From Michele Leder of Goldsboro:
Wow. this is sad news. I had a crush on Mr. Trautwein when I was in high school I just did. He was an amazing person. I have so many memories of him and they started in 6th grade. When I was in sixth grade he was putting on the Mikado. He needed a small person to carry the sword across the stage and somehow I got picked to be the child who did it. It was my first time being in front of a "real" audience and I must have loved it because I was in the Goldmasquers all during high school. He made me feel that I did a good job. It was so special for me. He was so strict. I NEVER got into trouble in high school, until one day in Chorus. He must have told me not to talk and I must have been talking because he sent me to the principal's office. The ONLY time I ever got into trouble in school. You can well imagine I did NOT talk in Chorus after that!!
He had an incredible ear for sound. i really had no voice to speak of and couldn't sing, but I loved to sing so he let me, but I will never forget one year during a Christmas concert he looked straight at me standing on the front row with about a hundred other kids and he pointed to me to point out that I was off key. I immediately started to just mouth the words instead of singing them. It was sort of hurtful, but the truth was I couldn't sing and he saved me years of embarrassment by teaching me that early on. He knew I was more of an actress than a singer. He was real, honest, demanding, caring, an all out INCREDIBLE teacher. He left a great legacy in all those kids he taught.
