Moving his hands to a rhythm-like movement to help his students with their music, Assistant Choir Director Mr. Maxim Vrij directs his beginner choir students. Mr. Vrij began teaching choir at Legacy full-time this year after being a student teacher last year.
“Student teaching was very eye-opening, and it also illuminated to me that I was in the field that I’m supposed to be in,” Mr Vrij said. “I loved it, so I knew that teaching was right for me and that’s what I really wanted to do.”
Mr. Vrij student taught at Fossil Hill Middle School for the spring semester after student teaching at Legacy.
“There was no reason not to want to come here. It’s an outstanding program, outstanding kids to work with and great ensembles,” Mr. Vrij said. “I love the campus itself. It was a dream scenario.”
Liliana Kaluf, 10, met Mr. Vrij in Canto Dolce when he student taught last year. She is now in the advanced choir, Bella Voce, where he helps teach the class.
“He is a fun, chill teacher who always brightens the mood with his high energy, and he always puts his full energy into everything we do,” Kaluf said.
Mr. Vrij graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in music education.
“He’s just a lot more confident,” Head Director Powell said. “He is quicker to know what to do and how to do things.”
Mr. Vrij met Mr. Powell at a music conference in San Antonio in July of 2023 where they both know that they connected really well.
“Here’s the thing about Mr. Vrij, he’s the same all the time; he’s just a positive, excited person who’s really passionate about what he does,” Mr. Powell said. “I love that about him so much.”
Mr. Vrij stands outside the choir room and plays music on the speaker to stay positive and have fun throughout the day. During warmups, he takes his students “places” when doing stretches.
“He has come up with multiple ways of teaching a topic to ensure you understand it and have fun with it,” Kaluf said. “He helps you come up with better ways to approach your technique.”
Mr. Vrij teaches Canto Dolce and Tenor Bass by himself, and he helps Mr. Powell with the other music classes to get more experience with advanced music.
“I really do enjoy the beginner ensembles and seeing the kids begin to really understand the music and start to vibe with it,” Mr. Vrij said. “That’s just a really cool process to go through over an extended period of time.”
In the beginner classes, they work on music that works for them and what works with Mr. Vrij to teach. They work on music pieces like Luna Lullaby and La Violette. Luna Lullaby is more of a flowy song while La Violette is an upbeat music piece that takes you on a journey.
“He does a really good job at changing how he conveys information to people based on their musical skill level,” Kaluf said. “He never fails to fill the room with energy no matter the mood he is in or how his day has been going”
Mr. Vrij asks questions of the day to create a stronger bond with his students, and so he can learn more about them.
“He really loves his students, and he really is excited t to teach them and to see them grow,” Mr. Powell said. “He holds them accountable, but he also is just like ‘Hey I’m gonna help you. Let’s do this thing together.’”
Last year Mr. Vrij and Mr. Powell developed a strong bond when he student taught with Mr. Powell. They both believe that they work well together, and Mr. Powell helps him and gives him pointers on what he can do to improve.
“It gets frustrating because you can in your brain know what needs to happen but in the moment not know how to accomplish what you’re trying to accomplish,” Mr. Vrij said.
When Mr. Vrij teaches his students he does it proudly, and Mr. Powell believes that he always knows what he is doing and even if he messes up he goes with it.
“It’s very rewarding when you struggle when you don’t get something at first,” Mr. Vrij said, “and then it finally clicks or you finally find what works with that ensemble and then you succeed.”
