She’s a diminutive woman.

Kind, walks really fast (and talks just as fast), and is very generous to a fault. Always willing to serve, and not be served (but she's not a martyr). Has belief in the potential of individuals, gives excellent advice to those who need it, as well as to those who don’t.

She’s a great teacher, any subject she teaches becomes interesting, that even if you don’t have any passion for that particular class you’d be drawn in by the way she talks about it.

In life, meeting others and getting to know them, they leave an impact, whether it’s big or small. But there will always be individuals who will change your life and make it better, for me, she’s one of those.

Some call her Ma’am Heidi, others Dr. Heidi (she has a doctorate in music), though she’s fine with both. A professional pianist with the degree to back up her skills, but has more passion for teaching than performance. Sometimes, she’d even give free lessons if she knows someone needs them.

Her favourite things to say are, “God will provide”, and “If God closes one door, He opens another”.

I don’t remember the first time I met her.

It was my mom who became acquainted with her, she met Ma’am Heidi when there was a music seminar in a college about two hours away from our home.

At that time, my mom was cultivating her interest in music, she especially wanted to have her children learn it as well, though we weren’t very cooperative. By this time, I think we had already tried out several instruments, the recorder, bamboo flute, pan flute, piano, octavina (a stringed instrument similar to the guitar but with more strings), violin, and there were voice lessons. But us kids were not interested at all.

But for my mom, hope springs eternal.

They became friends at that time. Later, when we passed by the university where Ma’am Heidi was the dean of the music department, she invited us to stay for a while. The department was offering free music lessons for two weeks, so my mom signed us up. We stayed past those two weeks, and just as we were about to go home, an intense storm hit our hometown and a flash flood occurred, making a mess of our home. I think it was a blessing in disguise, the possibility of us drowning if we were there was great.

It was decided that we would stay at that university and that my mom would enrol in the music program, which, in the end, she didn’t finish.

Being in that school, we became more immersed in music, but that did not mean that I grew to love it, that came later, near the time when we were about to leave, but that’s a story for another time.

What made a big impression on me was Ma’am Heidi’s personality.

I saw how kind she was, concerned with each and every one of her students, up to the point that she would help them out financially when she could. At this time, I wasn’t that close to her, she was like an admirable authority figure, but her influence could be felt in how the entire music department worked. Because she was dedicated to providing a proper music building, with practice rooms and all, she was tireless in her philanthropy work, always meeting people and organizing performances that could garner sponsors.

But through all the great work she was doing, you could sense how humble she was, how she always would say that everything is God’s providence.

I became more acquainted with her when she left the university to teach in a smaller college. Again, she invited us to visit, and again we went. She was at that school to start the music program, there was no room, no space, no instruments, nada. Everything had to be started from scratch. The first classrooms were located above the gymnasium, and during PE class it would get very noisy, that sometimes it would be hard to listen to teachers in class.

And there were the music camps that she would organize every summer, where she would invite a professor that specializes in the orchestra to come teach. You’d think that the department would earn a lot from those camps, but no. Ma’am Heidi would look for sponsors just so the camp fees could be subsidized for the students so that they would pay less.

Her dedication to music literacy, not only for those with money but also for those who want to learn but have no finances for it, it’s admirable. Sometimes, maybe foolhardy, to others. Because she’s an idealist, a person so positive that obstacles to her, are only proofs of God’s goodness since those trying times are when you see how He provides.

When my brother and I entered college, we went to where Ma’am Heidi taught. It was a place about two planes rides or a two-day bus trip by land from our hometown, but we decided to follow her.

And as a member of the music department she heads, I saw, even more, her spirit of courage, kindness, generosity, humbleness, and positivity. Her dedication to teach willingly is to the point that her salary, instead of taking it, it goes into the scholarship program she has for music students. Plus she also does her philanthropy work to finance music education programs, some involving underprivileged kids, prisoners, and more.

There are times when financial trouble comes, funds are low and debts are high, that she would always, always tell us to pray, to always believe that God will provide. And she’d use her own money, not expecting any returns but only trusting that things will fall in place. Through all the problems I’ve seen her and the department face, I’ve never seen her lose hope or trust in God’s providence. I know, because she’s always been rather transparent about the problems.

And you’d think, that since there are money problems, she’d be thinking about gain, right? But she never does. When she’s asked to have the department perform music for this or that occasion, she offers the services for free.

The first time I saw her cry was when she received an email that a huge amount of funds was promised for the music building project. In the middle of history of western music class, she appeared and told us the news, tears in her eyes. (The second time I saw her cry was from over-laughing, we watched John Cage’s 4:33 for music history class, she was our teacher this time, and she was overcome by amusement.)

Another thing that I admire about her is her belief in the potential of people.

She accepts students into the music programs with no prior musical instruction, and they become competent musicians, maybe not all of them, but a lot of them are. When a student would feel discouraged, she’d talk to them, tell them that they can learn. I’m a recipient of one of her talks. There was a time that I really wanted to leave the program, I cried, but after a motivational session with her, I persevered, I still get these talks from time to time, and it helps a lot. Especially at times when you don’t have any faith in yourself, having another person trust in your potential is, comforting.

Until now, she continues on being a great model for positivity, still a woman that’s humble, kind, and utterly dedicated to providing music instruction that can change lives, because she believes that music can change lives for the better. I’m really glad to have met her, and hope that someday, I can be as positive as she is (or just even have a percentage of her positivity).

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I just wanted share my model for positivity, who is also one of the people I admire the most（＾∀＾）

Pssst. All photos were taken by yours truly.

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