The most important problem in the U.S. today is education and teaching. Ms. Sand's book is about a very special teacher teaching very special students. If you have ever studied music or are interested in music you will love this book.

But Ms. Sand's book about Ms. Delay is much more. It is about communicating ideas and about different ways of treating people so that teaching is effective. As such this book is must reading for those interested in either teaching or child development. Anyone who is interested in education in any field will devour Ms. Sand's book for the insights that it gives about teaching.

Ms. Delay's approach is based on respect for the individual. From the outside this respectful approach may seem insufficently directive for some people, especially when compared to the previous generation of teachers, such as Galamian, with approaches that were often prescriptive and authoritarian.

But in Ms. Sand's book, the effectiveness and success of Ms. Delay's respectful approach is amply demonstrated. Fortunately Ms. Sand observed Ms. Delay for almost a decade so that the process and effectiveness of Ms. Delay's approach can be clearly seen through the success and individuality of her students. The remarkable number of successful students she has taught is a measure of her extraordinary effectiveness.

Interestingly, Ms. Sand writes about Ms Delay and her students in her own respectful style, which combines insight with wit. Read "Teaching Genius" and be inspired.

Music is my avocation, but I teach on the high school level. Not only did this book fill me in on the inner workings of the clasical music business (lots of juicy stories that made me feel "in the know"), but I feel inspired by Dorothy Delay's masterful teaching style. I feel I'm a better teacher myself now when I enter the classroom and approach my students' difficulties and strengths. The book is so clearly written and I kept wondering how the author, Barbara Lourie Sand, got all this information. She must have spent a great deal of time with her fascinating subject because Ms. Delay came alive, her gifted students came alive, and so did all the mavens and greats in the music world. I'm telling all my colleagues and friends about the book. I'm urging them to give it a read because it is a treasure.

and more books like this one. The author lets us in for an inside look at a very special woman's life, and matches Ms. Delay's ability to communicate with her students with a writer's rare ability to communicate with her readers. Especially interesting to learn about the teaching of the younger, up and coming set of violinists .. and comforting to know that the music will live on, with the help of Dorothy Delay and her students!! Reading this book was, for me, like attending an evening of perfect chamber music: a story told in parts, the voices coming in and out, but always in harmony. A must for any classical music fan!!