Music Educator of the Year: Lynne Green
At our March Soirees Musicales concerts, we were thrilled to honor EYSO’s 2015 Music Educator of the Year: Lynne Green, founder of the Lynne Green School of Flute and longtime band director at St. Patrick Catholic School in St. Charles.
Lynne Green is not only well known to several generations of former band students in the Fox Valley but especially beloved by a loyal and passionate community of flute players who have thrived under her pedagogy and care for them. “Mrs. Green”, as she is fondly known by all, is a true “teacher’s teacher”—a rare combination of keen musicianship, scholarship, and hard work applied to her personal passion for helping young musicians thrive. Her reputation is as a teacher who manages to balance very high expectations for her students with deep affection for them.
When I first began studying flute with Mrs. Green, I had no idea how much I would grow under her teaching and guidance. The six years of my life I spent with her were six years that shaped and inspired me as a person as well as a flute player. Mrs. Green is not only a brilliant musician and teacher, but also a truly wonderful person. She constantly strives for her students to be the best they can be and works her hardest to ensure each of us reach our full potential. She challenged and encouraged me in every lesson and presented me with many opportunities, including auditioning for the EYSO.
Ann Green, EYSO alum and flute performance major at Ohio State University
Over the years, Mrs. Green has guided at least ten outstanding young flute players to the EYSO, including two Concerto Competition winners. Her students have won awards in the Chicago Flute Club, the Illinois Music Educators Association, the Society of American Musicians, the Granquist Music, and the National Flute Association High School Flute Choir Competitions. Former students have gone on to pursue music degrees at top-ranked schools and conservatories, including Lawrence University, Michigan State, St. Olaf College, and the University of Illinois, among many others. Two are now certified music therapists, two are arts administrators, and four teach band or general music.
“For those of us who love music and are privileged to teach it to young people, either in schools or private studios, we can’t imagine a better career that what we have,” Mrs. Green said, accepting the award. “May we all continue to advocate for the arts in our schools and communities.”