In 18th century Japan, artists were divided up in guilds, the leader of any of these these guilds was called an "Iemoto". The Iemoto ran the school and taught all of his students his craft; soon all of his students' art resembles his own, both the master and the student's art share characteristics and would be hard to distinguish. My clarinet teacher, Dana, is my Iemoto, and my goal as a musician is to be like her as much as possible while still developing my own unique style.
When I was younger I was constantly changing private instructors because they couldn't live off the money they were making from private lessons, so when I started studying with Dana I felt very blessed. She's a young woman who's really got her life put together, so I immediately felt like i could trust her.
One thing I really admire about Dana is that she is confident about living in a "man's world". Dana's an orchestra conductor, a profession with male dominance. She's aware of this and uses it to her advantage. Being different makes her noticed, and gives her oppurtunities in her field. Although I'm not sure if being a conductor is right for me, I really appreciate the fact that Dana knows what makes her different and uses it to make her stronger.
The other thing about Dana that I love and wish to master myself, is that she's a successful musician. Most private instructors are burnt out musicians who never made it to a professional level, so they turned to teaching other people. Dana's not like this, she's an active musician and loves it. I hope to keep music a major portion of my life, not just something on the side like a hobby. Dana can do this, and hopefully I can too.
Dana is a great musician and person, because of this, she is a major source of inspiration to me. My goal as a musician, is to embrace my individuality and be a happy and successful person, just like Dana.
