This is the second year that Luca has had Mrs. Savage for Orchestra. It has consistently been his favorite class for the last two years! I have also had the opportunity to join for many field trips and concerts with his class and so I've had the opportunity to see Mrs. Savage in her everyday life. She has created an amazing Orchestra Program at Eastwood; growing it monumentally in the last few years. She has created a program that not only teaches students how to play instruments but she has given them purpose to play outside of the classroom. The students have many opportunities to play for audiences outside of the school which allows them to see how much of their work turns into something beautiful. A lot of the students are challenging themselves by taking additional lessons and competing in state competitions. Mrs. Savage has incorporated musicians from Butler and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra showing them how the arts and music are an important part of our culture and different experiences. She has built an environment where the students respect her and each other. She consistently builds relationships in the classroom among students giving them the opportunity to be themselves. I am so amazed at her leadership and ability to develop musicians. I feel so lucky that she is the leader of this program as I know Luca will play another year and I have younger children that have watched Luca's skill grow and will want to play as well. We are so honored to have Mrs. Savage as part of our Eastwood Middle School family!