Joe came to me, he explained, because his boss wanted to get rid of him, and Joe wasn’t about to let it happen. In the midst of music lesson discussions about the instrument and learning techniques and tunes, I slowly came to learn the story of how Joe was taking his boss to the Labor commissioner for mistreating him, while enduring the mistreatment so as not to give in.
The violin was his refuge. He started getting pretty good at it by the time the commissioner decided against him. The next lesson was sad, all talking and no music, in fact, and in an unfortunate twist, he never paid me for that last lesson. I always joke that I should have charged him triple my normal rates–the rates of a psychiatrist, not a music teacher!
A news article came out today highlighting a new recording studio in a cancer wing of a hospital, giving kids a chance to write songs and record them. The idea is not merely to cure, but to heal. Music has a holistic health effect that our pragmatic society has a hard time understanding. It doesn’t match up with dollars and cents, but it makes common sense.
One more story: an elder student of mine, George, was anxious about investing in lessons and a new instrument, and kept after me about how much he should practice and how to do it, and when he could expect to be as good as so-and-so, and sometimes wondered forlornly why he couldn’t get the same quality of sound that I do–until the day he had a talk with Barry, who happened to be scheduled in the next lesson time.
George asked Barry how much he practiced, and the answer shocked him: “three, sometimes four hours a day.” George practically threw up his arms in despair and said to me, “So that’s what you have to do?”
But before I could answer, Barry checkmated him. “I just enjoy it. It relaxes me,” he said. Suddenly George had a whole new perspective on learning music, and there was no need to say more.
I have some students that never touch their instrument except during the lesson. I talk to the parents, who are aware of the poor practice habits, but say that the lesson with me is the highlight of their week.
I have adult students that end up talking about their divorce, job, or other problems. They feel it is worth the fee and time to sit and spend twenty minutes of their thirty minute lesson time talking about life.
Yes, I agree. The music lesson can also be a therapy session.
by Ronnie Currey — Thu Jan 17, 2008 @ 12:51 pm