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Student learns that music is joy, from Ypsilanti teacher

What stories should we tell about the arts?

That's a question we sometimes ask on our Facebook page. Jason Towler suggested we profile Ypsilanti music teacher Crystal Harding and he had a good reason to suggest her.

Harding was Towler's music teacher back in 1988, when Towler was a first-grader at Erickson Elementary School.  Harding is all about having a good time through music, singing, and dancing. Here she is in action:

Harding made a big impression on the shy young man, and that's what this story is about.

Towler was pretty nervous the first day he walked into Harding's classroom as a child. He was worried they'd be forced to sing lame music all day long, as Towler explains here:

These days, Towler is a special education teacher in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.

Kyle Norris is from Michigan and spent ten years as a host and reporter with Michigan Radio, the state’s largest NPR-affiliate. He lives in Seattle and works as a substitute host and producer at KNKX.
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