Bernstein: A Tribute To Teachers

The following is the speech made by Leonard Bernstein at a New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert in 1963:

My dear young friends,
Welcome back to Philharmonic Hall. You may think it strange that I have chosen to open this new season of Young People's Concerts with the subject of teachers. After all, aren't these programs always about music? And what have teachers got to do with music?
The answer is: everything. We can all imagine a painter who is self-taught, and maybe some writers too, but it is almost impossible to imagine a professional musician who doesn't owe something to one teacher or another. The trouble is that we don't always realize how important teachers are, in music or in anything else. Teaching is probably the noblest profession in the world -- the most unselfish, difficult and honorable profession. But it is also the most unappreciated, underrated, underpaid, and underpraised profession in the world...........