So what kind of teachers could a school get if it paid them US$125,000 a year? An accomplished violist who infuses her music lessons with the neuroscience of why one needs to practise, and creatively worded instructions such as: "Pass the melody gently, as if it were a bowl of Jell-O." A self-described "explorer" from Arizona who spent three decades honing her craft at public, private, urban and rural schools. Two with Ivy League degrees.