Justin Taylor

When I went to work with Professor Callus, I definitely wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. It was definitely a “spur the moment” kind of thing. Living in Iowa, I knew that there was something more than what I was getting musically. She came to my school to give a recital and to give masterclasses to several of our students. Unfortunately I was given very little time with her and I was not satisfied. A friend of mine and I decided that we were going to go out to California ourselves and take matters into our own hands. Being a lower-middle class midwestern boy, traveling far from home was kind of a risk financially not to mention very frightening. I was very worried about how far my money would go and if it was really worth what I was putting into it. I went with my gut and went out for a visit. From the moment I arrived in Prof. Callus’ office, I knew that I had finally done something that would change my life. She’s definitely tough. Man is she tough, but all out of passion, love and the interest in finding the best out of every student. I have never met anyone who has said so many things that made so much sense to me. If one thing doesn’t work, however, she will not stop until you get it. She works efficiently and doesn’t waste time. She’s also a very visual teacher, especially with her little Polaroid camera. She draws pictures, takes pictures of you (for technique reasons), uses her viola a lot in lessons and just thoroughly interacts with students instead of just sitting in her chair. There are so many things that I could say about this woman, however, just because I love her doesn’t mean that everyone else will. I suggest contacting her and taking a huge step, just as I did, to see for yourself. She’s one of the sweetest women I have ever met and has such a passion for helping anybody willing to put in 200%. Contact her and if you work hard enough, I put my money down that you’ll feel the same way.

Justin Taylor, University of Northern Iowa