Recently, I was deeply saddened to learn that music world lost a great man. My longtime violin teacher and mentor, Mr. Edwin Johonnott, passed away in October. He was a former first violinist with the National Symphony Orchestra, a violin professor at George Mason University and a former violin professor at the University of Mary Washington. He was an equally accomplished teacher and performer, as well as an amazing mentor and a wonderful person. I was fortunate to have studied with Mr. J. throughout high school and during my undergraduate years at Mary Washington. One of the things I really enjoyed about him as a teacher was that he truly knew when to push his students and when to hold back. He was kind and patient, but expected a great deal from his students, which can be a tough line to walk from a teachers' perspective. He knew when to make a joke with a student, and when to be serious. He advocated for his students to make sure they were receiving the best possible learning experiences. In short, I try to model many of my own teaching practices after the experiences I gained in my lessons with him. Mr. J touched many lives, and I know this loss was felt across the music world.