Testimonials

The Meaning of Music

For fourteen years, Tracey Steele has been an important influence in my life, helping me express my personality through music and grow as a person. Her constant encouragement and patience have driven me to achieve my musical and personal goals. As I’ve grown up, Tracey has been both my teacher and my friend. Her endless passion and sacrifice as a piano teacher for the Dollard Center for the Arts transformed a non-profit community service into an extended family. With Tracey, music is not just a hobby, but also a learning experience where her students cooperate to create incredible collaborative pieces, like our twelve-player adaptation of Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins. Her tireless effort has helped each of us develop a personal style. With Tracey, playing piano is more than just learning to play an instrument; it’s about having fun, forming friendships, and learning to develop our personal tastes. Tracey deserves to be recognized for her determination and hard work, which turned a community piano school into a second home for her students. Tracey’s impact on my life and on the lives of her students is undeniable, and I am extremely proud to say that Tracey is my piano teacher.

Melanie Levy

Woman of Steele: The Best Piano Teacher There Is!

Her intense devotion to her students and the way she manages to create a sense of community among them really sets her apart. This is not a place where students do not talk to each other, meeting with her and the other students on Sundays is one of the highlights of my week...with Tracey it is like we're a family. As a math/science student, I had never really opened myself to the arts but Tracey helped me to see the joys of music and all the benefits music education has to offer. Over the last 23 years, she built the piano program from the ground up and has taught hundreds of students over the years. She is the only piano teacher I can remember who was profiled in our newspaper, really putting our program on the map. I really enjoy Tracey's teaching style because she is not afraid to push you, and as a result I have learned much more in the last 4 years than I ever did with previous teachers. Best of luck Tracey, you are the best!

Steven Pileggi

Tracey Steele, an incredible individual

I started thinking about piano late in life, but if you tell that to Tracey, she’ll say you have an advantage. I would constantly give myself the excuse of being too old - actually I am only forty-seven. My eldest daughter is one of Tracey’s students and through the years, I have watched how music has shaped her. But playing was something that I never thought I would be able to do. One of the main reasons holding me back for so many years was the deformity I was born with on my right hand, it was a challenge for me, but not for Tracey, she figured it all out. I can’t say enough about Tracey in how she has natural energy, which her students depend on. The community is extraordinarily lucky for Tracey has highly influenced her students and parents alike. I took the plunge at a later age and Tracey has prepared me to fully explore my dreams. Tracey has built a foundation for the community, which without her hard work and long hours would have never existed. She gives equal attention to her students. She is open to her students’ sensibilities and trusts in them their capabilities.

Filia Cagianos

Music of the Heart Dedicated to Tracey Steele

Tracey is the incredibly gifted woman who has given me piano lessons for close to 15 years. She was the only teacher who made me enjoy playing an instrument because she made sure I was able to read notes and that understood what I was learning. Most importantly, she made sure that I could learn independently. One of the greatest impacts she has on her students is bringing them together regularly for duets or group pieces. This is really important, because the piano is normally seen as a solo instrument. Tracey also gets her students to interact by asking more advanced students to explain new concepts to younger students. This helps strengthen their knowledge and gives the younger students something to aspire to. […] Over the years she has taught hundreds of children in our community. In addition, she has impacted countless families by bringing music into their homes. I have no doubt that most if not all of her students will enrol their children in music lessons because of their amazing experience with Tracey.

Prasadini Abeywardhana

Tracey Steele, my hero

At the age of 18, Tracey came to the Dollard-des-Ormeaux Civic Center, ambitious and determined to create a music program, something that had never yet been achieved. 23 years later, Tracey managed to make it blossom into a fully functional non-profit organization with over 65 students. The mere act of creating something out of nothing does not just happen overnight, it takes a lot of discipline, patience and hard work. Tracey masters these traits and instills them onto her students, not only for the purpose of musical excellence but for success in life. One thing truly amazing about Tracey is how she incorporates ways to motivate her students in pursuing the skill of piano, particularly through the apprenticeship program where her more mature students pass on their experience to the beginner students and help them in their learning of piano. Tracey has transformed me, she has given me valuable life lessons, confidence, and the ability to communicate through music. She has expanded my outlook on life, and with this, I have realized that not only does music play a big role in our local community but in society as a whole. Music is humble, yet so powerful, just like Tracey.

Maria Cagianos

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The Meaning of Music

Woman of Steele: The Best Piano Teacher There Is!

Tracey Steele, an incredible individual

Music of the Heart Dedicated to Tracey Steele

Tracey Steele, my hero

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