Hispanic Heritage Month Teacher Profile, Vivian Gonzalez

Vivian Gonzalez

Music Teacher in Miami, Florida

Vivian Gonzalez began studying the violin at age 5. At age ten, Ms. Gonzalez made her solo debut with the former Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida.  She is a proud product of Miami Dade County Public Schools Magnet Programs and community music organizations. As a professional violinist, Ms. Gonzalez has performed for heads of state including former president Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore. She has also performed with numerous South Florida orchestras including the Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Pops, New World Symphony, and can be seen on “Ray Charles – In Concert”, a benefit for Lighthouse for the Blind Miami aired on P.B.S.  Wanting to give back to the community that gave so much to her, Ms. Gonzalez became a Miami-Dade County Public School music teacher in 1999.  Currently, Ms. Gonzalez is a 2014 Grammy Music Educator Award Top-Ten Finalist teaching general and magnet music at South Miami K-8 Center. She also serves as the NAfME IN-Ovations Council Southern Representative, the FL-ASTA Awards Chair, and is a member of the editorial committee for the International Journal of Music Education: Practice.

Why do you teach? I teach because as a child my teachers were my angels, role models, and inspiration. I count myself truly blessed to be a product of Miami-Dade County Public Schools Magnet Programs and the surrounding community music organizations. I was raised by a teenaged-mom who would travel to the ends of the earth, in car, bus or on foot, to make sure that her daughters had every opportunity she could find for them and a Cuban-exile father who worked two and three jobs to provide for his family. My parents taught me to work hard, push myself, never take things for granted and to always be appreciative and humble. My music teachers taught me wonder, imagination, self-confidence, perseverance, community, and introduced me to the magic and joy of self-expression through music.

What do you love about teaching? Touching the lives of the students I teach is what I love most about teaching. Every day I am given the opportunity to positively impact the lives of the children in my class through music and show each of them that they can do and learn anything they put their minds to, as long as they are willing to work hard for it.  Music allows children to enter into a world of wonder, imagination and self-expression while also giving students the opportunity to learn risk-taking, accepting critique, discipline, focus, persistence, dedication, and perseverance. Music is a way of understanding and experiencing the world. Every day I look forward to sharing the world of music with my students.

When you were a student, was there a great teacher who inspired you? I was very fortunate to have many great teachers surrounding me from kindergarten to college. Every music teacher I had went above and beyond to help me continue my musical growth. Ms. Traeger, my very first music teacher in Kindergarten told my mom about a music magnet pull out program. She was generous enough to know about a special program and encourage my mother to have my sister and I audition for it. Mr. Mink, my first magnet music teacher, was a cultivator of magic. Judy Frishman, my first violin teacher, taught me for free for six years and arranged for Ms. Barbara Duffy to loan me instruments, because my family could not afford it. John Delancie made sure that I was given violin lessons through New World School of the Arts from sixth grade on. Dr. Lee Stone, my junior high string magnet teacher, drove me to New World School of the Arts when I was just in seventh grade to make sure that I played with their college level orchestra . Felicia Moye, who is basically my violin mom, did more things for me that I can possibly write. The Miami String Quartet took me under their wing and even let me travel with them from time to time. Margaret Pardee, who is my violin grandma, introduced me to the high expectations of the Juilliard School and wrote countless letters to me, especially after Hurricane Andrew to make sure that I was ok and still practicing. Pinchas Zuckerman graciously let his biggest, although at the time I was probably his shortest, fan play for him when I was just a teenager no less than four times. South Florida Youth Symphony made it possible for me to have played in Carnegie Hall, Miami Children’s Choir made it possible for me to sing in the children’s chorus of three operas, and the former Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida hosted my solo debut when I was ten. What more can one person hope for from a public and community music education? With so many teachers being so much more than “just teachers” it’s no wonder that I became one myself.