" I studied piano and harmony privately with Sister Sheila at Immaculata High School in Ottawa in the late 1970's. I remember her as feisty, with a quirky and mocking wit, and being very dedicated to the teaching of music. An exacting task-master, she stressed the importance of extremely hard work, while encouraging her students to strive for the impossible. Quite often private lessons for high school students were conducted in the style of university-level master classes, in the presence of other students. One episode in particular stands out in my mind : while teaching a Haydn sonata to me, she asked another student to demonstrate Classical-style ornaments by playing this piece, which she hadn't played in a long time, from memory in front of others. Although this must have been quite demanding on the student, it did stress the importance of memorizing pieces well and accurately. Another memory : At one of my lessons, she gave me to read a rather bold review of a recital which her students had just recently attended and asked me to give an in-depth opinion of it. That was another unusual aspect of her teaching, to help her students develop critical and analytical thinking. Since then I've always enjoyed reading reviews and forming an opinion about their style and content. In order to help us improve and grow, she was always ready with startling observations and advice about every aspect of our activities and personalities. My piano lessons with her helped me later with my studies in university, as I had developed the need to take on a large workload and to do things in a conscientious and thorough manner. "