Part of our From the Desk Of….. Series
by Mac Huff
One can never underestimate the power and importance of great teachers. I’ve been very fortunate to have many wonderful, and inspiring educators in my life. I want to share some stories about one very special teacher, Amanda.
As I began my masters in piano performance at the University of Texas-Austin, I walked into my first piano pedagogy class and met a force of nature named Dr. Amanda Vick Lethco. Bigger than life, with a wonderful Southern drawl, she opened class expressing the great fear and horror that all piano teachers have to face today..… too many young students were not being taught to play with a rounded hand position. She then launched into an hour lecture that quoted everything from Bob Dylan to the Bible on the commitment and passion needed to become a great teacher. She said that if she didn’t believe in what she was doing as a teacher, she’d be on the French Riviera. I later found out how true this statement was. Apparently, the “Vick” in her name was from Vicksburg Mississippi. She was an original Vick. She was southern royalty. Her piano series, “Creating Music at the Piano,” was one of the best selling method books in the world. Here’s one of the most well-to-do and accomplished women in America up at night worried about rounded hand positions. I had to get to know her.
Fortunately, Amanda and I became fast friends. I learned so much from her. I found myself wanting to be around her. I was truly fortunate when she asked if I would consider being her assistant to play and teach in a series of two-week summer piano workshops all over the globe. Of course I said yes, and for the next three years, I traveled with Amanda. I watched her teach these two-week sessions, never repeating herself, never dropping a word and never looking at a note. She was amazing. She was the real deal. She believed every word.
Amanda Vick Lethco & Mac: Hawaii, 1979
Amanda Vick Lethco, Mac, Ed Heenan: Autoban, Germany, 1980
When Amanda decided to stop traveling herself, she encouraged me to continue with the workshops. By that point, the workshop organization knew me and was happy for me to come back and teach without Amanda. When I asked the workshop people about my fee and expenses, they were surprised. Apparently, Amanda had been paying my way for three years. She had never told me.
Later that year, I met Amanda at her house and immediately cornered her about secretly paying my way for three years of workshops. Her response was simple. She said, “I did that for you so that you’ll do it for someone else.” It was the ultimate lesson a teacher can give a student. She believed in me and taught me to believe in myself. She taught by example. She lived her life with passion and total commitment. And now it was time to pass on all that she taught me to others. It was a water-shed moment. I’ve come to realize that that’s maybe one of the most important things a teacher can give to a student.
It was years later that I saw Amanda for the last time. She was speaking in Long Beach, California, and I had arranged to meet her for dinner. As I greeted her that night, she looked concerned and bothered. I asked what was wrong. She said, “Mac, there are still way too many students not playing with a rounded hand position. What are we gonna do?” Once a teacher…always a teacher. Thank you Amanda. You gave me so much. I am forever grateful to you. Your legacy lives on.
Mac Huff is one the music industry’s most prolific and well known choral composer/arrangers. He is in demand as a lecturer and guest artist for music festivals throughout the world. His music is published exclusively through Hal Leonard Corporation. Learn more about Mac at machuff.com
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