Nearing retirement, 91-year-old violinist reflects on lifelong love of teaching music

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — As lovely as Bach’s Symphony, a legendary violin player and instructor is the perfect example of how hard work lays the groundwork for opportunity.

Betty Haag is about to hang up her bow. But how did she become a sought-after teacher?

“I was born in Laporte, Indiana June 7, 1932,” says Haag, an American icon in the world of teaching violin. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in music, the Betty Haag Academy of Music is where the now-91-year-old teaches the Suzuki method.

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Back in 1970, while teaching at DePaul, Haag signed on to help a local school superintendent build the ranks of the string section of the grade school program. She agreed but only if she could employ the Suzuki method in kindergarten, which begins instruction at an earlier age.

“The initial recruitment brought in 200 children, and I was the only teacher,” Haag said. “So, in the second year, we recruited 700 students, and they allowed me to hire two more teachers. And we worked with all the children.”

By the time Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne took office in the late 1970s, things had really taken off for Betty and her academy. Byrne asked if she and her young musical masters’ could play for Pope John Paul II at O’Hare Airport as he arrived on a goodwill mission to the city in 1979.

“Pope John Paul was very charismatic,” she said. “He loved children, and when his plane landed, and he heard the children playing, he just broke away from the security guards and ran right up to the stage where we were.”

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The next day, things would begin to change incredibly forever.

“I received a phone call from Mrs. Galvin, but I didn’t know who she was. She said, ‘I saw your children performing last night for the Pope and wondered if I could start my granddaughter?’ I said, ‘I’m so sorry I don’t have more room,'” Haag said.

Mary Galvan was the wife of billionaire Motorola CEO Robert Galvin. Mrs. Galvin persisted, and in time, her granddaughter Carrie began lessons with Haags.

Great things would follow.

“I believe that all of the opportunities that we’ve had in this school is when I first met Mrs. Robert Galvin,” Haag said.

The Galvins would sponsor international travel to perform in Asia and Europe once again for Pope John Paul II, kings and queens, and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

But in the present, Haag is eying retirement.

“She’s funny. She doesn’t know it, but she’s hysterical,” said granddaughter Tiffany Blake, who helps run the academy. “We are truly blessed to still have her and she is still willing to help everyone, all the teachers and all their students.”

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Danielle Pavlos is a former student of Haag’s who went on to major in music at DePaul.

“Mrs. Haag is a one and 1 million kind of teacher,” Pavlos said.

Her five-year-old son, Dimitri, now takes lessons at the academy.

“Even from four and five years old, they can play like accomplished musicians, and that’s exactly what you want,” Pavlos added.

Make no mistake—Haag’s exacting standards can be challenging, but they are appreciated over time. Many of her most magical moments are framed and hung on the walls of her academy.

“I’ve always lived in a world of children,” Haag said. “It’s been a beautiful journey for me.”

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