Klarinet Archive - Posting 000729.txt from 2004/10

From: Joseph Wakeling <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Appealing to the superficial
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 06:43:33 -0400

Adam Michlin wrote:

> I HAVE NOT AND HOPEFULLY NEVER WILL PUT A BEAT TO K622.
>
> But I would resort to such a crude, tasteless act before giving up, too.
>
> And yes, I readily admit it probably wont work. A poor reason for not
> trying.

But there is a *good* reason for not trying: because, the chances are
that by trying to curry favour with your students in such a cheap way
you will *put them off Mozart* for life because they will forevermore
associate it with that idiot teacher who thought putting a beat over
Mozart made it "cool".

Mozart doesn't need "tricks". If students don't respond to his music,
maybe it's not the right time, maybe it's not the right place. If
they're going to come to Mozart it has to be on their terms; after all,
it's their ears, their brain, their time. And if they *don't* ever come
to Mozart, IT DOESN'T MATTER. It's their life.

If students don't want to listen to Mozart, you can't make them. And if
you *try* to make them listen, whether by tricks, or by incessantly
playing the music, or whatever, you drive them further away because they
associate it with the "stupid teacher" who is always thinking about
himself and never about their own interests.

So by all means play Mozart to students. But if they don't seem
interested, put on something else. Find something they *do* like.
They'll respond better to a teacher who engages with them to provide
musical experiences that *they* find interesting. And once they trust
you as someone who understands what they are looking for in music,
perhaps they might start to listen to you when you tell them why you
like Mozart.

Then again they might still not like it. But it doesn't matter. It's
their life.

-- Joe

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