I am always very excited to meet a new student. They always come with a spark in their eyes because they’re interested, curious, hungry for knowledge. Every time I am reminded that I have the best job in the world: sharing with someone my passion for music.
I tell them to sit at the piano or on the drum throne and we start right away. She tells me about her previous experience, he tells me what kind of music he’s interested in studying. I see them sometimes being nervous. I try to make them feel comfortable. I crack a few jokes and take on a very relaxed attitude, I want them to feel safe in my studio.
Some of them had lessons before. They are accustomed to a certain behavior from their teacher. Well, I am not like anybody else, as each one has their own way of communicating. My goal, at that moment, is to meet the student where they are, but also, make them understand who I am. Yes, there will be an assignment page, a structure, a routine, yes, we will do technique and not just study songs and yes, we will be progressive about all of it. I will try not put them in front of a wall, I am not here to humiliate or shame them. I am here to help give birth to the musician that inside of them. We’ll both be on the job.
Here’s a tricky bit, and I don’t know if I should even confess it: I do not give the same amount of homework to everybody. I try to gauge with each lesson how much I can ask from a student. For most of them, it’ll be just about the same from week to week. For a few others, I don’t mind asking the question: “Are you going to be busy this next few days?”. I do it with children too. They might spend a weekend away from the instrument. They might be preparing for a big test at school, or have extra practice in sport. I never take things for granted, which helps avoid tensions during our time together. I also try to make a mental note of their answers to ask at the next lesson how the dance recital went, or the visit to Wisconsin.
I pride myself on being a music teacher, I love my job. I’ve been doing it for 35 years now (since 1989, wow, that’s not next door anymore), and I intend to keep it going for a long time.
