by David Biggs
I attended a delightful music concert last week.
There were about a dozen pianists performing and the concert was held at the home of a local music teacher. The ages of the performers ranged from five to 11 years, apart from one beginner pupil who was in her seventies and had decided to start learning music after delivering twin 12-year-olds for their regular classes each week.
School concerts can be a cringeworthy pain in the posterior, but this one was actually fun.
What made the difference was that everybody really seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Each pupil approached the piano and announced their choice of music with obvious pride. Many of them had been learning for only two months (including the 70-year-old) but performed their repertoires proudly.
It all made me look back at my own brief career as a piano pupil at around the age of eight. My teacher was a stern woman who hovered over the keyboard holding a wooden ruler and punishing any incorrect notes with a smack on the knuckles. It was a joyless experience. I gave up music after one term and vowed never to touch a piano again.
There’s a vital difference between good teachers and bad ones. Bad teachers present the contents of text books to their pupils. Good teachers lead their learners on an exciting voyage of discovery.
There are no boring facts. Only boring people. I remember the ultimately boring history teacher who started every class with the same droned instruction: “Good morning class sit down take out your books Jones start reading from page 45." And then he’d sit with his face in his hands and go to sleep. Occasionally he’d wake up and mumble: “That’s enough, Biggs read from there,” and go back to sleep.
We tested him by keeping our books closed and simply opening at any random page and reading when asked to. I remember one classmate reading a cowboy novel in his class and when called upon to read he simply continued reading his western novel aloud. I think the cattle rustlers were about to be strung up.
The teacher never even noticed.
I have huge respect for good teachers. They open up a whole, exciting world of opportunity for their pupils.
Bad teachers just drone on, class after class, and probably produce nothing better than politicians.
I look forward to hearing some of last week’s pianists playing with great symphony orchestras in famous concert halls in the not-too-distant future.
Last Laugh
At a party the host said to one of his guests: “Your glass is empty. Can I get you another one?”
The guest looked puzzled. “Why the hell do you think I’d want two empty glasses?"
* "Tavern of the Seas" is a daily column written in the Cape Argus by David Biggs. Biggs can be contacted at [email protected]
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.