What makes a good (instrumental) teacher? Part 3/3

So I stopped my preaching and lectures about practice (I was still very strict and expected the kids to have the same attitude towards the music as I have known from Slovenia) and just sat down and watched those girls giggle. I took my little notebook and asked: what kind of music do you like? How many siblings do you have? What are your interests and hobbies? What is your favorite dessert? And we just talked.

They were still rude and obnoxious, but I would learn something new in each lesson and write it down. I wrote arrangements of their favorite songs for them to play and insisted on them learning them in the lesson without giving up. I pushed them when they started to giggle and make fun, making them repeat again and again…I came to realize they were just incredibly insecure. The core of their attitude was their total mistrust towards any authority figure, which resulted in feeling often let down by adults. The authority figures in their lives (their parents, teachers) were acting unreliable, inconsistent, unpredictable, untrustworthy, and sometimes downright neglecting. I showed interest, and they started to open up. "I can't…I am too stupid…I am bad at everything…" – I made them repeat what they were repeatedly learning until they saw, experienced, not only heard: no, actually, they can do it. I made them perform to share cheerful support from others for their effort and silent recognition. I made them sing. Our voice is our first instrument and the primary tool for expression. When kids don't have a way to express themselves in a healthy, regulated, and consistent manner, the excess energy blows out in aggression and acting out. They need sport or an artistic skill – people in general, but especially kids, need to release emotions and build resilience, endurance, and self-confidence through a quality activity. In the beginning, they had absolutely no intonation. They never sang because the parents never sang, danced, or played with them that way; later, the friends they were surrounded with thought of it as silly. With discipline and consistency, building trust and encouragement, my pushing when necessary, and offering them a space where they could open up – not only they sang harmonics while playing guitar at the end of the year, but they also started listening and trusting my advice and coincidently making more effort at school. It almost made me cry when they performed at the end of the year, and they shined such confidence and pride, receiving so many compliments with their head up high. Years later, I coincidentally met them in a shopping center, and they told me they were doing evening school and working. Knowing how bad of a path they were on, probably even getting into some terrible company, wasting their life – they tried to do better. I would like to believe that seed of new confidence, aspiration, and trust we have planted in our classes, grew more significantly due to their positive experience. I realized this was one of the moments – it was all worth it. Giving them even that 0.01% of this strength is worth it. Yes, I have a huge soft spot for difficult teenagers 😊

So, another thing that makes someone a good teacher is persistence in their purpose. One has to be aware of what kind of influence and impact we have on them, whether good or bad. They need us to lead them toward their potential and to help them shine in their purest light. Recognizing their potential and reading them to the extent to which we can then stir them around is something no master study will ever be able to teach you. It is what being true to yourself will do and going deep within one own fears and darkness we have experienced as children and young adults…and then look at the students and think – how can I offer any value to this soul? Who is this person sitting in front of me? Being a teacher is not an easy job; it carries a lot of responsibility – yet, it can be so rewarding and fun!

Therefore I wanted to share my dedication more practically; I have created a little template, a spreadsheet for teachers and teachers to be that hopefully inspire a better look at the students. It contains spaces for a full assessment of a student (at the beginning and end of the year), a section for students and teachers' individual goals, unique facts and likes/dislikes, and any observations. I hope you can find it helpful – let us all make a difference together!

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