GROVE CITY, Ohio — March is Music Teacher Appreciation Month, and with the trials teachers have worked through to continue to educate their students, some students are making sure to give thanks.

Brooklyn Dustman, a junior at Grove City High School, isn’t afraid to be different. She plays trombone in the band, something she said she saw her older cousin do before her and thought was "super cool.”

She chooses to warm up for rehearsal with the Greyhound's fight song, which is appropriate, considering this year has been a fight, as Brooklyn and students across the country try to navigate the uncertainty of a very different high school experience. 

"It’s been very hard to stay motivated at all this year and I feel like I’ve used my music classes and my teachers here, because the teachers here are amazing especially Mr. Graham,” Dustman said. 

Jason Graham is the Director of Bands at Grove City. He's helped lead the school to the Rose Parade, Walt Disney World, and racked up hundreds of accreditations.

His students, like Dustman, said, "He's the best. The ability he has to make a band come together, produce music, and just make it fun still."

But this year has been anything but fun for teachers like Graham. 

“Certainly the most difficult year of education that any of us have been in,” Graham said. “It’s been so different than what we know.”

Despite the many challenges, Graham said knows he can still make a positive impact on his students, even if it means adjusting his standards. 

“That’s ok, they’ve still been able to play their instruments, to be in a room with their friends to play instruments while there here,” Graham said. “We didn’t know if that would happen. That we’ve been able to continue that to some degree has been a joy and a blessing and I know they appreciate that.”

The students really do.

“Seeing that he still wanted to push and do as much as we can to have so much normalcy was just really amazing,” said Dustman. 

That push came with sacrifice, and at times, some really tough days. 

“There have been days I’ve gone home and, frankly, been a little depressed about not being able to do what we do here, not be able to make the music and make the gains that we normally do,” Graham said. “You teach because you are passionate about it and you’re passionate about students and when you take that part of it away it really makes it hard.”

As hard as this year has been, it’s more important than ever for students to say thank you to teachers like Graham. 

"Thank you Mr. Graham for being probably the kindest and just most enjoyable music teacher I’ve ever had the privilege to learn from,” said Dustman. “Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Everyone here very much appreciates you and thank you for everything you do and I don’t know if I can put into words how much I appreciate it.”

So, they'll put it into music.