This text is dedicated to Ms. Neid. I chose to write it as a letter because it felt like the most personal and genuine way to thank her for everything she has done for me and for the band program during her time at Graded.

Dear Ms. Neid,

For the past three years, I have watched you pour your heart and soul into the school’s ensembles. You focused on every aspect of each piece, from tempo to dynamics, shaping us into better musicians. More importantly, you paid just as much attention to us as people, learning our habits, sharing inside jokes, and building relationships rooted in trust and comfort.

Looking back on all the pieces we’ve played, one stands out as a turning point: the John Williams piece. As epic as it was, it showed us that playing is about more than just hitting the right notes. Every time you stepped onto the podium, it felt like the whole room shifted. You cared about every crescendo, every pause, and turned the performance into something people could feel. The audience’s “woah” says it all. From that moment on, we stopped just preparing music. We started building something bigger. You gave us challenging pieces like Mars and showed us we were capable of more than we thought. I admire how you always believed in us, and I am especially grateful that you taught me how to believe in myself.

At some point, band became more than just a class for me. As a flute player in the front row, I got to be close to you, and that’s where some of my favorite moments happened. The laughs, the random conversations about life, and everything in between. When I had to decide whether to stay in band during IB, it honestly wasn’t even a question. A big part of that was knowing I would have your support through those two intense years. I can now say with total confidence that I made the right choice. You were even going through the college process with us, which made everything feel a little less overwhelming.

As you move into this next phase of your life, I hope you take a piece of Graded with you. I’ll make sure our “fofocas” in the music lab don’t go to waste, and I’ll hold onto the advice you gave me during those moments. I’ll also carry everything you taught me as a musician as I keep growing.

I know you’re going to do great things in this next chapter. Please stay in touch. I’ll miss you a lot.

With love,
Jojo