Student Reality Checks (or lack thereof)

Student #1:  Has been angry at me for a couple of weeks now because I passed her up for a small ensemble gig.  She plays wrong notes.... like a *lot* of wrong notes.  She knows this.  She still wants the same opportunities that the first stand players get.  Had to explain to her that just being on the team doesn't necessarily give her the right to be the starting pitcher now and then.  In fact, given how prone she is to mistakes, she's lucky I allow her to *stay* on the team. 

Today I asked her how much time practicing she gets in - she told me an hour a week.  I told her that wasn't nearly enough.  I don't think she believes me.  Then again, she lives in a world where there are sometimes alternatives to hard work to get results.

Student #2:  Wants to get into my jazz band.  Semi-decent player, but oblivious to people playing around him.  Has difficulty blending, or matching tempo at times.  Wears the wrong thing to concerts.  Sometimes forgets to show up to performances at all.  Spaces out during rehearsals.  (Asks questions that I just gave the answer to).  Slow to get his instrument out at the beginning of class - lightning-fast to pack up at the end. 

Yesterday there was a snafu getting enough copies ready for the band rehearsal, so I let the band have the period off.  Some of the kids who are also enrolled in jazz pulled out the gig book and started practicing.  All, the kids who want to get into jazz next year pulled out their horns and tried to read the music over the current jazz member's shoulder.  All, that is, except one... he was playing on his iPhone with his friends.  I walked over to him.

Me:  Hey.... you see those kids over there playing... do you know what they are doing?

Kid:  ummm... they're playing the jazz music?

Me:  How many of them are actually in jazz band?

Kid:  Two... I think...

Me:  That's right... and do you know what the other kids are?

Kid: ....... uh........

Me:  They're your competition to get into jazz band.

I got a blank stare.  Not sure he understood *sigh*.

Sign of the times

I am not a generally disliked teacher.  Probably the opposite.  Still.... I have a running list of kids who might come after me if they went on a shooting spree.

*sigh*