Written by Chloe Mee
Mr Lee is a new face at Collingwood who has quickly established himself in our community — standing at the front of the school each morning to greet students despite the chill of winter, making conversation with teachers in the hallways, arriving at school in the early hours before some students may have woken up for their school days. Mr Lee graciously took the time to sit down with me and speak of his love for the arts as well as their place at Collingwood.
Outside of his role as Head of Morven at Collingwood, Mr Lee enjoys spending time with his family, particularly skiing. He also spoke of his love for baseball — whether it be watching games on TV, analysing statistics, or reading about the sport. People may be surprised to learn that Mr Lee has a love for food channels and learning how to cook! A go-to food channel of his is Grillmasters.
His preferred genre of music is “1980s retro” (though he asks that we don’t do the calculations to guess his age!). This love of the eighties ranges from individual acts to bands such as Journey.
Mr Lee also possesses a talent for musical instruments. He played the piano for six years during his elementary years and the trumpet throughout high school. Pachelbel is his favourite composer, the piece Canon in D is his favourite song to play.
When I asked Mr Lee about the most memorable visual or performing art teacher he had, he quickly replied that it was his Grade Eight visual arts teacher. At this age, taking a visual art course was mandatory before people chose their own pathways later on in high school. He admitted that he was “not so strong in visual arts [and] had some insecurities about it,” and that he was not coming along as well as he had hoped. He will always remember that this teacher encouraged him to persist and developed his confidence. Mr Lee described this as “a feeling you never forget.” These, he described, are the qualities of an outstanding and memorable teacher: one that recognises that a student’s confidence is crucial and creates a deeper level of understanding of each student. A teacher should learn to draw out potential qualities with each child and bring out the strengths in their character.
As he learnt from his most memorable art teacher, Mr Lee finds that “the big, famous paintings” are only a “tiny aspect” of visual art. The more important aspect is the thought that goes into creating art. It is essential to take a look at the thought process of the artist — both their efforts and creativity. He believes that a “fundamental appreciation of art no matter the skill level” is something every person should have, ranging from a “four-year-old JK student to someone who is pursuing a fine arts program.” Having that understanding and appreciation is incredibly valuable. Mr Lee further explained he finds that art is meaningful because it encourages people to have a “constant fundamental open viewpoint and open-mindedness in everything you do.” As a leader, it has helped him to consider multiple viewpoints.
When it comes to advice for somebody who wants to try something new such as taking up the trumpet, Mr Lee emphasised that a sense of discovery is vital when learning new things. A new instrumentalist should focus on discovering the “love of playing and listening to music” instead of concentrating on the sheet music or book in front of them. “At its core, when you play an instrument, [you should] enjoy sounds, tone, melody… as you continue with [your] efforts, passion and discovery will lead you to the structural and theoretical side of music.” He mused that this generation of students could focus more on a sense of discovery, reminiscing back to when he did not have Google if he wanted to play a certain piece of music on the piano. He would have to either buy the piece or transcribe it.
Regardless of time or resources, if Mr Lee had the opportunity to learn a new art-related skill, he would want to learn more about art design. He takes a particular interest in art design because it is interdisciplinary, involving math, science and visual art. “The future of what cars will look like in 2030 will be determined by what we see in art design today,” he told me.
As for the future of the arts at Collingwood, Mr Lee said that we should continue to “use the tools that we have now so that students are ready for tomorrow.” The arts provide both a tangible skill set and soft skills necessary for all students. “The impacts of arts on today’s child [are essential] to better prepare them for their development and mindset growth,” he said, explaining that what they learn today will help them navigate what they experience later in life as adults.
Mr Lee recently read Barack Obama’s autobiography, The Promised Land. He was inspired by Obama’s “tremendous journey in leadership” — the challenges he faced and his success in serving for two terms. He finds him to be a fascinating figure. If given the opportunity to ask Obama one question, Mr Lee would ask: “what would be the greatest lesson you have learned as a leader and as a father?”
Mr Lee has aspirations of writing a book about his experiences in leadership. The primary focus would be on his journey as an educator, “tying in [his] leadership journey over three decades… at four different schools.” In this book — an autobiography rich with the lessons he has learned — he wants to highlight the importance of being able to create personal connections with other people and the ability to adapt to new situations in leadership.
It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to interview Mr Lee about his love for the arts. I will be on the look-out for his autobiography in bookstores in the years to come
Mr Lee is a new face at Collingwood who has quickly established himself in our community — standing at the front of the school each morning to greet students despite the chill of winter, making conversation with teachers in the hallways, arriving at school in the early hours before some students may have woken up for their school days. Mr Lee graciously took the time to sit down with me and speak of his love for the arts as well as their place at Collingwood.
Outside of his role as Head of Morven at Collingwood, Mr Lee enjoys spending time with his family, particularly skiing. He also spoke of his love for baseball — whether it be watching games on TV, analysing statistics, or reading about the sport. People may be surprised to learn that Mr Lee has a love for food channels and learning how to cook! A go-to food channel of his is Grillmasters.
His preferred genre of music is “1980s retro” (though he asks that we don’t do the calculations to guess his age!). This love of the eighties ranges from individual acts to bands such as Journey.
Mr Lee also possesses a talent for musical instruments. He played the piano for six years during his elementary years and the trumpet throughout high school. Pachelbel is his favourite composer, the piece Canon in D is his favourite song to play.
When I asked Mr Lee about the most memorable visual or performing art teacher he had, he quickly replied that it was his Grade Eight visual arts teacher. At this age, taking a visual art course was mandatory before people chose their own pathways later on in high school. He admitted that he was “not so strong in visual arts [and] had some insecurities about it,” and that he was not coming along as well as he had hoped. He will always remember that this teacher encouraged him to persist and developed his confidence. Mr Lee described this as “a feeling you never forget.” These, he described, are the qualities of an outstanding and memorable teacher: one that recognises that a student’s confidence is crucial and creates a deeper level of understanding of each student. A teacher should learn to draw out potential qualities with each child and bring out the strengths in their character.
As he learnt from his most memorable art teacher, Mr Lee finds that “the big, famous paintings” are only a “tiny aspect” of visual art. The more important aspect is the thought that goes into creating art. It is essential to take a look at the thought process of the artist — both their efforts and creativity. He believes that a “fundamental appreciation of art no matter the skill level” is something every person should have, ranging from a “four-year-old JK student to someone who is pursuing a fine arts program.” Having that understanding and appreciation is incredibly valuable. Mr Lee further explained he finds that art is meaningful because it encourages people to have a “constant fundamental open viewpoint and open-mindedness in everything you do.” As a leader, it has helped him to consider multiple viewpoints.
When it comes to advice for somebody who wants to try something new such as taking up the trumpet, Mr Lee emphasised that a sense of discovery is vital when learning new things. A new instrumentalist should focus on discovering the “love of playing and listening to music” instead of concentrating on the sheet music or book in front of them. “At its core, when you play an instrument, [you should] enjoy sounds, tone, melody… as you continue with [your] efforts, passion and discovery will lead you to the structural and theoretical side of music.” He mused that this generation of students could focus more on a sense of discovery, reminiscing back to when he did not have Google if he wanted to play a certain piece of music on the piano. He would have to either buy the piece or transcribe it.
Regardless of time or resources, if Mr Lee had the opportunity to learn a new art-related skill, he would want to learn more about art design. He takes a particular interest in art design because it is interdisciplinary, involving math, science and visual art. “The future of what cars will look like in 2030 will be determined by what we see in art design today,” he told me.
As for the future of the arts at Collingwood, Mr Lee said that we should continue to “use the tools that we have now so that students are ready for tomorrow.” The arts provide both a tangible skill set and soft skills necessary for all students. “The impacts of arts on today’s child [are essential] to better prepare them for their development and mindset growth,” he said, explaining that what they learn today will help them navigate what they experience later in life as adults.
Mr Lee recently read Barack Obama’s autobiography, The Promised Land. He was inspired by Obama’s “tremendous journey in leadership” — the challenges he faced and his success in serving for two terms. He finds him to be a fascinating figure. If given the opportunity to ask Obama one question, Mr Lee would ask: “what would be the greatest lesson you have learned as a leader and as a father?”
Mr Lee has aspirations of writing a book about his experiences in leadership. The primary focus would be on his journey as an educator, “tying in [his] leadership journey over three decades… at four different schools.” In this book — an autobiography rich with the lessons he has learned — he wants to highlight the importance of being able to create personal connections with other people and the ability to adapt to new situations in leadership.
It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to interview Mr Lee about his love for the arts. I will be on the look-out for his autobiography in bookstores in the years to come