trmptr

These are really interesting stories. I find it inspiring to see world-class performers like Manny and Ed enjoying their teaching as much as their performing.

Ed - I've never thought of teaching in the way that you presented. Generally, I try to present music to my students that is considered standard rep, and I don't tend to venture into much contemporary music - which is the music that I enjoy performing. Reading your post, I think it would be a new and exciting way for me to teach by introducing students to music that I love to perform. Relaying that passion would be good for both the teacher and student. Thank you for that idea!

Any public school teachers out there with interesting/inspiring stories?

__________________
Del Lyren
Professor of Trumpet
Bemidji State University
http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/music/home.html

tpter1

Interesting and inspiring...yes. A few. To choose carefully...

This is not so much about music. But, I'm finding, less and less of teaching music deals with teaching music than it does with teaching Music (capitol intended).

I had once a flute player. (Well, more than once...) I started this girl in fifth grade. At the time I started her, I thought she was goping to quit. I just knew in my bones this kid was goping to be a quitter. She could not get the embouchre correct (I was young and stupid...I should have switched her to something else). She did not seem very smart. She was ALWAYS filthy. Really filthy. Never had clean clothes, always smelled of urine and sweat badly enough that nobody would stand next to her. (Even I could not for longer than a few seconds). The kids made fun of her on the playground, bus, and in the lunchroom. (5th graders can be quite ruthless). This conciued this way for quite some time, despite the school nurse's involvement in washing her clothes and helping her shower in the gym. (See? Not really about music, is it?)

Anyway, when this girl reached high school she quite literally cleaned herself up. She was always a hard worker and did everything as best she could, but now the difference was that she was on a mission (apparantly). She no longer smelled. He clothes were clean. She was moving up the ladder in academic standing. She did not quit flute, even though she had major embouchre problems. She stick through it all.

She graduated vala-dictorian, and went on to a college in Rochester to najor in psychology.

It turned out, as she began to open up in hs, that her sister had spina bifida, and needed 100% of her parents attention. They were also extremely poor, and could not afford home health care or nursing.

She did all of this on her own, with no help from her parents. She turned herself around, got into college on a full scholarship and made something of hereself.

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

Tootsall

Glenn, that is the type of teaching story that raises the hairs on my neck. Thanks so much for sharing it.

trmptr

That is a great story! Thank you for sharing it. Overcoming adversity like she did takes such a strong person. She will surely be successful at whatever she does; and someday she'll look back on her teachers who were there for her and she'll thank them!

__________________
Del Lyren
Professor of Trumpet
Bemidji State University
http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/music/home.html

Fluffy615

It's great to hear such entusiasim for teaching. I'm in my 23rd year as public school music teacher. I taught general music classes my first 4 years and then moved up to high school band director. That was, for the most part, a fun 14 years. I remember more than a few students over that time that stayed in school just to play in the band. I walked a few of them to class just to make sure they went! I talked to teachers and counselors on their behalf a number of times as well. Working with teenagers always made me feel younger. I still hear from quite a few of my former students, and I even have some as colleagues now! Currently I teach instrumental music to grades 4-6. It's still very rewarding to see them go from not knowing how to hold the instrument to playing in their frist performance. Performing is my first love and I continue to do it, but I still enjoy teaching.

Bob

trumpetmike

Teaching happens slightly differently over here, from what I discussed with many people from the US.
Most of the people I know started learning in individual or small group lessons (on their instrument only), only joining a band later on, when they achieved the required standard.
I teach all the brass instruments at a beginner level, specialising in just the trumpet for advanced players (it would be unfair for me to teach advanced players on the other brass instruments - there are some superb specialist teachers for horn and tuba and I am very happy to hand students over).

Most of my teaching is with younger players, frequently near the beginner level. My youngest current student is 7 and has only just picked up a trumpet for the first time - in a half hour lesson, on his own, with me, today. Sheer enthusiasm of youth - it was a difficult job calming him down enough to get a sensible word from him, let alone get a decent tone from the trumpet Still by the end of a very amusing half hour, he could get a low C and a G and tell the difference between them - he was even starting to get the right one when asked.

Because of the way the teaching here works, I also find myself teaching some older students as well (although these don't generally happen during the school day, this is how my evenings are filled). Today saw two of these lighten my evening. One was raving about her recent trip to India (which may well appear here on TM soon - keep your eyes peeled) and we were planning a concert (again, keep your eyes peeled, we might be asking for some help), the other was getting annoyed with me for making him sight read some studies for trumpet in E

One thing I can say for my Mondays - they are diverse. Eleven years cover the oldest and youngest and the standard is from absolute beginner through to a couple who regularly play in the groups I run.


I have to admit, I sort of fell into the teaching. Like many university graduates, I thought I would be able to make money as a player - well, frankly, there were a lot of players out there who were better at that than I am. Of course, it took me a while to find this out. Whilst I was trying to get some playing work I was asked to teach a couple of private students - helping out another local teacher who had a full timetable. This expanded and I was invited to start working for the local music authority. I am now teaching pretty much full time and still managing to keep my playing at a level that keeps improving.
This is certainly one of the most difficult aspects of this job, for me. Not just keeping my own playing standards high, but improving them so that when I do have students that are playing at a very high level, I can still find challenges for them.


Every now and then a student can completely surprise you - today featured one of those moments. One of my younger students came in with a HUGE smile. At the end of 2006 she was really struggling - hardly practising and not making the greatest of noises. Today she informed me that she had practised every day over the holiday (more than I had!) and that she had discovered that practising works. No kidding, she played beautifully and her range has extended without me having to do anything. I love it when students realise that the practising thing works - I wish I had discovered this before university