MRS. ELVA JEAN BOLIN

Music Teacher

I was born in 1953 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. I have two younger brothers, Ray who is a truck driver for Frito Lay based here in Denver and Bernie who is a chaplain at a Hospice in New Braunfels, Texas. My father died in 1972. My mother died in 2000.

We were poor when I was a child. My mother made a lot of my clothes, but otherwise I had to wear “hand-me-downs”. My shoes were always bought a size too big because they were expensive and I would grow into them. I never grew into the last pair of too big shoes that my mother bought for me. They were handed down to my brother. He was lucky that they were black tie oxfords and not high heel dress shoes! One of my special memories from childhood is of a lady from our church who bought me three brand new dresses. When she gave them to me, they still had the price tags on them and they fit me perfectly.

I attended Lincoln Elementary, Byers Jr. High and South High, all Denver Public Schools. Mrs. Jennie McElroy, my second grade teacher, inspired me to become a teacher. Owen Hahn, my Jr. High Algebra teacher, taught me a lot more than math. I learned that teaching is about children and not just about subject matter. Edwin Lenicheck was my High School orchestra teacher. He is the one who encouraged me to become a music teacher. In 1971 I graduated seventeenth in a class of 722 students. As a graduation present, my parents bought me a violin from George Morrison, a Black Jazz Orchestra leader whom my Dad knew.

The college counselor at South told me, “It is a waste of a brilliant mind for you to become a teacher, especially a music teacher!” He was really wrong! I can’t think of a more exciting and rewarding job than teaching. I am challenged every single day. One thing I really love about teaching is that you can teach the same lesson again, but it never comes out the same.

I attended the University of Denver on a full-tuition Honor’s Program academic scholarship. In a chamber music class, I had the privilege of playing in a Piano Quartet with Condeleeza Rice who is currently the United States Secretary of State. Lee Yeingst, my viola teacher taught me how to practice effectively. I learned that by breaking things into small parts and learning them, I could put the parts back together as a whole. I really believe that with the possible exception of high school Calculus, I could teach anything using this process. Over 30 years of teaching, I have successfully taught reading, spelling, math, science, sewing, computer, art and physical education, as well as music. I have mentored a number of music education students and beginning teachers.

I started playing violin in the fifth grade. I was a member of the Denver Public Schools Citywide Orchestra every year from sixth to twelfth grade. In ninth grade I played my audition the day after my Dad had open-heart surgery. I remember my Mom told the judges about this to save face for me if I played poorly. I was third chair of the first violin section that year. I was a member of the Colorado All-State High School Orchestra from tenth to twelfth grade.

In high school under the supervision of Jack Stevens, a Denver Public Schools Instrumental Music Teacher, I started to give private lessons on the violin. I taught children ages three to twelve using the Suzuki Violin Method. Troy, one of my first students, started when he was four years old. He went to the Curtis Institute of Music, played with the National Repertory Orchestra and is currently the Professor of Violin at Kobe University in Japan.

After graduating from the University of Denver with my Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1975, I began teaching music in the Denver Public Schools. Margaret Cassario, the Supervisor of Music, became my mentor before that word even existed. I think that the most important advice she ever gave me was, “Whatever you do, do it with enthusiasm!” Even though Margaret is retired, we still keep in touch. My school secretary always knows when I am talking to Margaret because we sing songs together on the phone. Margaret is truly an inspiration!!

I taught music in the Denver Public Schools from 1975 to 1998. After substituting for several years, I received a contract and taught at Cory, Stevens, Teller, Wyman, Palmer, Ellis and Harrington Elementary Schools. I served on the Design Advisory Committee for the new Harrington building, helping design the vocal music room and the instrumental music room. In 1998 I was interviewed by Aimee Spohr for Channel 4’s Eye on Colorado program. They did a three minute segment about my instrumental music program at Harrington. That same year I was interviewed by Marc Shulgold for the Rocky Mountain News Sunday Spotlight. I have been listed in Who’s Who in American Education since 1989.

I was assistant conductor of many Denver Public Schools Citywide groups. In 1984, 1985, 1994, 1996 and 1997 I conducted the DPS Citywide Elementary Orchestra. We appeared on television in 1983. I also conducted the Youth Orchestra at my church. One of the students in the orchestra was Jeff Deyo. Jeff now sings professionally, doing Christian music for teenagers.

I have taught music in Aurora Public Schools since 1989 at Fulton, Boston, Lyn Knoll, Jamaica and Peoria Elementary Schools. The last five years at Jamaica I taught Music, Art and Physical Education. I really enjoyed that because the three subjects are very closely related. I serve on the APS Arts Curriculum Committee and the Aurora Cultural Arts Action Team (CAAT).

At the beginning of my third year at Jamaica, the movie Music of the Heart came out. My principal, Harry Chan, saw an interview on one of the morning talk shows with some of the actresses from the movie which was about a violin teacher. That morning he came into school and asked me, “Can you teach violin like that?” I said, “Sure! Have you got any violins?” Soon we received a $10,000 grant from Texaco and started the Jamaica Violin Program. Students from pre-school to grade three can start violin lessons. The lessons and the use of the school violins are free to these low income families. I would not be a music teacher now if Denver Public Schools had not had a violin for me to borrow when I started to play. With the Jamaica violin program students may continue to use a violin and take lessons until they finish twelfth grade. So far the most advanced student is in eighth grade. I am hoping that as time goes on the more experienced players will want to help teach the beginning players and I can mentor the older students to become teachers.

In 2001, I received the Everyday Hero Award from Channel 7 and Toyota. One of my co-workers nominated me for doing the violin program. As a result of this award, Berger Funds gave Jamaica School twelve violins that were really needed in order for all of the students who wanted to play to borrow a violin. Several individuals also donated violins. One of these people was Lee Yeingst, my college viola teacher, who donated the three violins he played as a student.

When I was in fifth grade, I had the opportunity to learn either Spanish or French. My teacher wanted all of us “smart” students to take French. I wanted to learn Spanish so I could talk to the kids from Mexico who lived in our neighborhood. My Mom had to go over to the school and tell my teacher that she wanted me to take Spanish. Fred Manzanares was the DPS teacher who taught us Spanish on television. I can still hear his voice saying, “Este es la corbata. Este es la camisa. Este es la mesa. Este es…”. In both DPS and APS, I have had more and more Spanish-speaking students. I am so glad that I can teach them in Spanish!

The most wonderful thing for me, as a teacher, is to see my students get excited about music. I love to see students’ eyes light when they can read the notes and play them on their instruments. It is very special when students come to me to show me something they have figured out by themselves using the process I have taught them. It is wonderful when students come to tell me that they have heard a piece of music that we have studied in class on a TV show or a commercial. I love to hear students singing a song they learned in music at recess. I always love to hear from my students after they go on to middle school, high school and beyond. I heard from one of my students today. She has graduated with her Art Education degree and is teaching art in a Christian school in South Korea.

Outside of school, I am married to a wonderful man whom I met in college in piano class. Neither one of us actually learned to play piano in that class. We were married in 1975. He is a salesman in an electric motor repair shop. We both are members of Aurora First Presbyterian Church which is near my school. We participate actively in the choir there and are involved in the music ministry at Canterbury. We have two pet rabbits, Evan and Sylvia, who are six years old.

My hobbies are quilting, counted cross stitch and needlepoint. I enjoy designing original patterns for these crafts. My Purple Mountain Majesties quilt, based on the words of “America the Beautiful”, has been shown at my church, in the Aurora Art Teachers’ Art Show, Quilting Up a Storm and the Youth For Christ downtown office. When the renovation of the Colorado State Capitol building is finished, I want to have the quilt hung there.

I enjoy playing many instruments, especially violin and viola. When I taught Instrumental Music I learned to play all of the instruments that I taught. It was their second year of playing before my students surpassed me. So far, I have successfully been able to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (a song with just four notes) on any instruments with which I have spent fifteen minutes. At Fulton, one of my students threatened to bring in his father’s Bagpipes. While I understand intellectually how they work, I was relieved when his father said, “No!” Someday I would like to learn to play Classical guitar music.

I enjoy growing plants and working in my flower garden. On summer mornings you will find me riding my bicycle along the Highline Canal Trail. I had the opportunity to go to Outward Bound near Leadville twice. My favorite part was climbing the rock wall at Camp Hale and rappelling back down. The words of the song “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” took on special meaning for me! So I challenge you to dare to dream and then dare to make your dream a reality!