Elizabeth Dettweiler, MYC Reporter (http://www.myc.com/Teacher/EDettweiler)
Mississauga, ON
A student from Elizabeth Dettweiler’s music studio was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Conservatory of Music last Sunday at their 2015 Toronto Convocation and Gold Medals Ceremony.
Elizabeth, teacher of Music for Young Children in Mississauga, ON, and her student (who happens to be her daughter also), Lilly Dettweiler, were invited to attend the ceremony downtown at the RCM’s beautiful new Koerner Hall. Koerner Hall is part of the RCM’s TELUS Centre for the Performing Arts on Bloor Street. Lilly has been studying music with Elizabeth Dettweiler since the young age of 4. She and her sisters have achieved gold medals at the Peel Music Festival with their xylophone quartet under the direction of their mother, Mrs. Dettweiler. As well, they have achieved noteworthy scores on piano solos at the festival and on RCM exams including piano, violin and theory in the past. This year, Lilly earned the distinction of a gold medal from the RCM by achieving the highest mark in Ontario and Quebec from September, 2014 to August 2015 for the grade 8 practical violin exam. Although she studies violin with a different teacher, Lilly feels that her success is largely due to the musicality, enjoyment and enthusiasm Elizabeth instilled in her throughout all the years Elizabeth has been Lilly’s music teacher. “Music is how I make sense of my world, how I find peace. I feel like I am praying when I play the violin.”
The Gold Medal ceremony contained performances of astounding quality by a brass quintet, a pianist and a string chamber orchestra. Another highlight was a videotaped message from astronaut Chris Hadfield. He was awarded an honorary diploma from the RCM that day.