In this month of celebrating family and friends with the dual holidays of Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day, I’d like to spend a little time saying thanks to our students and their families for allowing us into their weekly schedules. I feel very strongly that my job is so much more than just a “job”--it’s a chance to really get to know some young people and watch the
m grow and develop into musicians, dancers, scholars, and all sorts of things. Taking part in this process is a privilege! And even though as instructors we are teaching skills like note-reading, musicality, and composition, we still manage to learn quite a bit from the people we teach.
Here are some bits of wisdom the Music Instructors at Creative Dance & Music Studio have gained from our students over the years:
“One thing all of my students teach me is that progress is taking place. We can have days or weeks when we think maybe things aren't quite clicking or falling into place, or being completely understood and executed. Then along comes a lesson where it all just clicks, and you know that they are getting it. Steady progress is often hard to see or hear and very easily overlooked, but my students always make progress, some a little faster than others, but progress nonetheless.”
“I’ve become a better musician! My students are always bringing in songs they want to learn that I’ve never heard or played before, so they keep broadening my horizons. I practice a lot to keep up with their requests!”
“I’ve learned that sometimes it’s best to see the world through the eyes and mind of a child.”
“Sometimes to help a student grasp a concept, I need to think of a way to explain it differently than I’ve ever explained it before. It’s challenging but it helps me see things in a new way. Everyone learns differently. You have to be able to adapt.”
“I’ve definitely learned that shy students can come out of their shell with music. I have a student who rarely speaks, but she wants to play everything. So sometimes, our shyness can be expressed in other ways.”
“From one of my students who is really into science, I’ve learned more about space exploration and the planets than I ever knew before!”
So here is a big, hearty Thank You to all of our students for helping us to learn and grow right along with you!