I met
three people of significance yesterday: A new private student, a potential string coach and an assistant principal.
Timmy the Saxophone Neophyte
As much as I can sometimes
berate myself as a teacher, I have to admit that the evidence of my success as a private instructor is plentiful. I usually manage to get my students to advance beyond the average player for their grade level. I also have a reputation for being
challenging, but patient and encouraging. This year, I kept getting referrals from my current private students... to the point where I had to start turning people away. That feels kind of good.
Well with the summer time, I figured I'd pick up a few more. A colleague from a nearby private school referred a young boy to me. Timmy. 4th grader. He decided that he wanted to play a saxophone without having been within six feet of one. He also hasn't had any kind of formal musical training, outside of what the elementary school gives them
(1). The mom called me and asked if I would meet with him and let him try one of mine (school's) before they go out and rent one. I obliged.
Yesterday I met Timmy and his mom. I pulled one of our better altos off the shelf and
showed him how to assemble it. Then we went into putting the reed on the mouthpiece, finger position, making a sound... all the basic stuff. What was supposed to be a half-hour lesson turned into an hour. He ended up being one of those kids where you didn't notice the time because he's kind of fun to work with.
But the real pay off was after we finished the lesson, and Timmy and his mom walked out of the room. As soon as he thought he was out of ear-shot, he let out
his enthusiasm:
"OH MY GOD!!! THAT WAS SO AWESOME!!! OH MY GOD!!!"And as they faded into the sunset....
"
OH MY GOD!!! ... WHEN CAN I GET A SAXOPHONE OF MY OWN?...
THAT WAS SOOOO AWESOME....
OH MY GOD!!!......."
Yup... it sure was, kid.
Beth the Apprehensive String Instructor
So my string coach for the last three years, Emily, finally graduated from CSU Somewhere and got herself a
student teaching gig lined up for the fall. She was pretty good. Finding a new coach is always difficult because while there are always musicians out there, there are few who a) understand the classroom groove, b) know how to teach, and or c)
know how to deal with the munchkins. College students can be okay (especially music ed. majors) , except that more often than not they have schedules that conflict with our classes.
Emily knows this, and took it upon herself to try and find someone to replace her. She came up with Beth. Yesterday, right after Timmy left, Emily brought Beth in to meet me. Beth is a Junior at CSU Somewhere. Emily talked up a storm about her qualifications; she teaches a lot and has experience working with school programs. She's also a very capable musician and gets along marvelously with kids. She only has two issues: She has the same dreaded college schedule (which would keep her from being here on a daily basis) and... well, she's actually just recently had a bad experience working with a school that left her... demoralized. Emily told me that Beth had worked for a director who criticized and
berated her in front of students. (2) And of course, once you do that you destroy their credibility with the kids, negate their effectiveness as a coach, and do considerable damage to their self-esteem. Emily said Beth was
reconsidering getting her credential because of it.
It was because of that, however, that I became almost immediately interested in Beth. You all know
my own struggles with confidence... and to see something like that set in before a person has even acquired their own classroom is something I'd like to try an prevent if possible. New teachers and teachers-to-be are especially susceptible, because they don't have successes to offset the hard times.
We lose a lot of good people from the profession that way. I almost quit myself.
When I talked to Beth, I could tell she was being cautious... and it was obvious she hadn't made up her mind about whether or not she wanted to work here. I know Emily assured her that I wasn't anything like the other director... that I was a good person to work for and a decent mentor. She's supposed to get back to me before the end of Summer. We'll see how it goes. If she's as good as Emily says,
she should have another chance.
New Assistant Principal on the Block
So I'm in my office talking with Emily (Beth had left by that point) when Dan, one of our outgoing APs brought his replacement (Bob) by on a tour of the campus.
(3) Bob was an AP at one of the other high schools in the district. Right after shaking my hand, he said,"Hey... you know James Lorman?" James, of course, is the choir teacher at the school that Bob came from. James is a good guy and a hell of a teacher... recognized as one of the
Teachers of the Year for the whole county at one time. I get along with him very well. He's given me some good ideas regarding vocal selections
.(4) And although I hate the idea of feeling like I'm in competition with him, I've sometimes speculated as to which of our advanced choirs was the stronger.
"Yes... I know James well. He's a great teacher," I replied.
"Yes he is... He's awesome! I was always amazed at his concerts. And Sally
(5) too... they're both awesome. They run a first-rate music program." I smiled and nodded. Then he added, "I'm sure I'll enjoy going to your concerts as well... but just so you know, you have
big shoes to fill."
I'm not sure what I said in response... whatever it was, I whipped it up to hide my real reaction. I don't think Bob was trying to be rude or intimidating... I think he's just might be one of those guys who
doesn't always say the right thing.
Well Bob... despite the awkward first impression, it was nice to meet you. Thank you for encouraging a comparison with colleagues that I'd rather try to stay on equal terms with. And for the record.... I'm not replacing anyone, therefore
I'm not the one with shoes to fill.
1. Maybe a half-hour every week if they're lucky.
2. Emily thinks it has something to do with the fact that it was a female director. She says that women have a tough time gaining credibility in instrumental music, and often resort to really bitchy tactics.
3. That's what I get for leaving my door open all the time.
4. He is, after all, a dedicated choir teacher, whereas I am an instrumental guy pretending to be a choir teacher.
5. Sally is the band teacher at the same school. I get along with her really well too.
After realizing that I need to take more control of my destiny, I also came to the conclusion that I need to set musical goals for myself. Since I got my master's degree, I've kind of relaxed a bit... maybe more than a bit. At one time, my work ethic reflected that of my obsessive-compulsive conducting mentor. These days...not so much. There are three things I would like to focus on over the next two years:
