Cello Bear Goes to Group Class
A young bear learns important lessons about confidence, teamwork, and self-worth from his cello teacher as he joins group class for the first time.
The story of Cello Bear
This project began when Dr. Beth Cantrell, a cello teacher with over 30 years of experience teaching kids and adults through the Suzuki method (and a dear friend from church), told me she had a story that she wanted brought to life.
Cello Bear Goes to Group Class is a sweet and simple children's story. Described as parable-like, it follows young Cello Bear feeling nervous about joining his first group lesson. Through conversations with Mama Bear and Teacher Bear, Cello Bear begins to understand that everyone learns differently, mistakes are okay, and doing your best is what really matters.
Dr. Cantrell's original sketches
As we worked through the design of each animal, our goal was to reflect a variety of student looks, characteristics, and family types.
We wanted to portray adults and children who were alike, and who were not alike. We wanted to show students with visible and invisible differences. We wanted to see an array of natural personalities: eager students and hesitant students, silly students and studious students.
Many types of children can enter a classroom, and all deserve to be seen, taught, and loved.
I illustrated this story in a soft style with gouache and colored pencil, reflecting Dr. Cantrell's original sketches and capturing the warmth, personality, and gentle humor that make this story so special.
It was a joy to collaborate on something that honors both music education and the courage it takes to learn something new.
The pieces in this collection are a sample of the 19 illustrations created for this project. Published book coming soon!
