The Demkos: Family Support Story #13

I don’t exactly remember how I originally met Maddi Demko, but she stands as one of the students I really miss working with. She took to guitar, singing, and songwriting SO fast, and so passionately, it was inspiring.

She was an early teen when I started working with her, and she excelled through a lot of the core curriculum with a sense of ease, and she would learn and write songs without me having to nag her. She just knew to :do it”, as far as developing her skills on her own between lessons. The voice she developed for herself is one that I can still hear when I think about it, she had a tone, and inflection that was (is) very distinctive. Her knowledge of music theory was also solid, which was delightful, because that is often an area of resistance with many students.

We never got a chance to record her songs, as she moved a decent distance away a few years into working together, but I am confident that by now she has likely done so.

One of the other fond memories I have of my time working with her was that she had several friends she was collaborating with, and they were even a band for a little while. It sends a thrill through me when students get into group play scenarios where they are talking shop, and running sections, and all of that. To me, those moments and those activities are the bread and butter of evolving into a more serious artist. The urge to perform full songs as part of a band, and when the energy of youth is added, it’s just so intoxicating and inspiring. It reminds me of when I started, and how exciting it was. I still get that thrill even today, but there's just something about learning it all for the first time.

Maddi got to perform at one of my student showcases, and partook in photoshoots. It made me happy to be able to provide her, and her band, a platform to gain some experience from, as doing so is one of my greatest joys as an educator.

The Take Away From This Story:

Passion is the secret ingredient for success. Without passion, there will be no drive, there will be lessened inspired-energetics, there will be a certain gap that is never filled; the most crucial element in my opinion, learning how to work with others. A lazy student will only advance so far, but once they hit that wall, if they don’t do something about it, then the desire will fizzle, and that’s a sad thing to see. Maddi was as driven as I’ve seen, and I hope she has kept up with her skills in the last several years.