Klarinet Archive - Posting 000017.txt from 2002/06

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: [kl] Teaching the 'students' of today
Date: Sat, 1 Jun 2002 08:13:47 -0400

On Sat, 1 Jun 2002 07:53:53 -0400, webler1@-----.com said:

> > > The most amazing statement that I have often heard in a lesson is,
> > > "What difference does it make?", when trying correct an inherent
> > > problem. Apparently they assume that I'm giving out information
> > > just to fill up time, or I am not intelligent enough to give
> > > valuable information.
>
> Joseph Wakeling said:
>
> > Mind you, it might be that they just don't understand why it's
> > important. Not that I'm assuming you don't give reasons - and I know
> > that "What difference does it make?" can be as much a sign of
> > laziness as not understanding - but there can be value in verbally
> > challenging what a teacher tells you. ;-)

> You can tell a lot from the tone of such a statement. In most cases,
> when this question is asked it is usually done in a surly, complaining
> tone. It is not usually given because the student is really interested
> in the answer. Verbally challenging the teacher can be valuable as
> long as you are doing because you really want to understand. But
> many times it is not done for that reason. I am not out to create
> mindless robots, but whining and complaining is not the same as
> respectful inquisitiveness.

Nowadays teaching is almost always something imposed on a kid who
doesn't want it. This is one of the great ills of our times.

In my view, you should simply not teach 'students' who don't want to be
in your lessons, as a matter of principle. It's not as if the world is
in need of clarinet players, after all.

Playing the clarinet (particularly playing the period clarinet) should
be thought of as being like having sex -- it's only any good if you
actually want to do it. And it's not a question of thinking less of the
student, any more than you would think less of someone who didn't want
to have sex.

Teaching may not suit some people, anyway. I stopped having lessons as
soon as possible, myself; and a few years ago my youngest son asked for
a guitar for his birthday -- on the condition that he didn't have to
have a teacher. (He'd been there, you see.)

Someone said that it wasn't a good idea to teach pigs to sing, because
it was useless -- and it annoyed them. This makes a joke out of another
aspect of the matter that it's worth taking seriously.

What's the *real* meaning, for example, of the more famous injunction
'not to cast pearls before swine'?

I'd say the point is that if you do, it's *you* that's stupid, not the
swine. And they have a right to be annoyed, because they're interested
in things that are much more important, for them -- and arguably, much
more important anyway.

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
tel/fax 01865 553339

... Adults are just kids who owe money.

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