I teach cello lessons. I think a lot about each individual student before their lessons. Their mental and physical needs, their goals and aspirations. One methode of teaching does not necessarily fit all! I can apply this thought to so many other things in life.
My daughter and I love to play with horses. She is much more the expert than I. She has taken a lot of lessons from a lot of different trainers. We have had several different horses at different ages and...guess what!? One methode of training does not fit every horse! I have met so many trainers and teachers who try to put learning in a box! I have a very difficult time with that! People don't fit in boxes....neither do horses! So, as a teacher (trainer?) I try to take in account as many variables as possible, including age. The age of the horse you are working with makes a HUGE difference in how you go about training, so does the age of my cello students!
I have had older beginner cello students. One, in particular was a women approaching 80. The first thing she asks me..."am I NUTS?" My answer is ALWAYS "NO!" This particular student had once been an outstanding pianist. I thought at first that this was going to be relatively easy considering her background. As we got started, though, I realised another variable...the mind!
As we went along with her lessons, I was discovering that I had to repeat things over and over, much like a very young child before the light bulb turns on. As frustrating as it became, I suddenly realised that the lessons for this particular student were not about playing the cello! It was a MENTAL excersize! The purpose of her lessons eluded me for a while until MY light bulb went on! It wasn't about playing the cello!! This revelation made our lessons much easier. It was as much a lesson for me as it was for her and no....she wasn't nuts and no.....it wasn't too late!
I have another older student. A woman in her 70's. Again the..."am I nuts?" Her needs and goals are similar to the other in a way....a wonderful mental excersize, but she also has added the...."I have always wanted to play cello! Even just Twinkle...!" Well, she is WAY beyond twinkle now. She and I have discussed some physical aspect of playing that might prove challenging, but that does not mean she cannot play some very beautiful pieces and ENJOY it! It does not have to be complicated or difficult to be beautiful AND enjoyable.
There is so much more on this topic. I think I will save it for another time! As a beginner blogger, I do not want to make MY mental excersize complicated or difficult! As I am continually struggling to comrehend the ins and outs of computers, I think of my children who are SO much
farther ahead of me with their knowledge and skills. And I think of their youth......but I also believe that it is never too late!
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4 comments:
You are a gifted teacher. Your karma is to pass this gift on to your students.
Playing the 'cello requires a lot of exercise. Of the fingers, arms, ears, hearing seeing, listening, and exercising one's patience. The 'cello is a strict taskmaster!!! Yet, as you said, often the 'cello is submerged in a sea of base lines, subjecting each 'cellist to hours of drudgery as the "violinists get it right." So I am so glad, the cello is finally coming up in the world.
The 'cello will reward us with its dulcet tones and many happy hours of making music with our friends.
Electronics has enabled us to manipulate sound in ways never imagined a generation ago. Simply having all kinds of music at our fingertips 24/7 if we choose is an awesome accomplishment of this generation.
The keen senses of the animals perceive sounds and registers far beyond our perception. They see spectrum of light far beyond what we can see.
No matter how far our creations take us, we will always be limited compared to the animals. We will be manipulating and changing only "our world." Thus we must bear this in mind and avoid self-aggrandizement in the pursuit of our goals in music.
Playing the 'cello is truly a humbling experience.
Trying to spell self-aggrandizement is also a truly humbling experience.
I so agree that the box is not the right fit for everyone. That is a huge reason we home educate. My kids all learn differently. Over the past 10 years I've had to adjust my approach to meet the needs of their unique way of taking in information.
Re: said computer. Seems the kids have no fear of imploding the world by pushing the wrong button. I'm getting more comfortable with "making mistakes" while learning new things here, but still, in the back of my mind is that nagging feeling that I really could cause chaos if I'm not careful enough! LOL.
I have a violin on my closet shelf. A simple beginners version. I intend to learn to play one day. The cello is a close second for an instrument to learn. It just didn't fit on the shelf as well. Perhaps I just need a bigger closet.
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