MUSIC & ME (PART II)

It’s the law of attraction.

My love for music attracted me to join many musical groups during my academic years. Participating in musical activities in turn increased my passion for music.

The concert band, choir, Chinese orchestra, string ensemble and in my post-academic years - songwriting and even forming my own band. These musical activities have truly enriched my life and have helped shaped my principles of teaching.

Music is a lifeskill and a lifelong journey of discovery.

I always encourage my students to participate in musical groups or any form of performing arts. By doing so, helps them to build character, self-confidence, communication skills and friendship with their peers.

Recently, I just had a concert for my piano students. My students went through the process of analysing their musical strength and weakness, deciding their performance pieces, exploring and practicing their pieces; and on the actual day, learning how to cope with scenarios in a live performance setting, putting up a technically controlled, stable and engaging performance. It was a valuable out-of-the-classroom learning experience. Well, that’s how I see it.

Having to perform to live audiences may be nerve-wracking for some but exciting for some. At the end of the day, it is also about learning to manage one’s performance anxiety. I can’t say for sure whether all my students love the concert, but I can say for sure all of them look forward to the concert and felt a sense of purpose.

I believe in the benefits of organising such concerts or group activities. I believe in giving these children and youths a place to start, the opportunity to perform and the experience and memories to keep. Because I have received these opportunities (although not many during my time) during my music learning journey as a student and I understand how significant they are in the later part of my life.

We often hear people say that it’s not about the outcome, but it’s about the process. I say it’s about the outcome and the process. As a teacher, I want my students to have a learning outcome and I value the process they go through in order to achieve the learning outcome. It is the teacher’s responsibility or call of duty to ensure the students have a positive learning experience. It doesn’t mean the process is without stress, but rather, how you guide your students to handle stressful situations and manage their expectations / emotions during the learning journey. The successful stories are often the ones whereby the parents, child and teacher work closely to help the child achieve his / her desired goals (I call this the pyramid support). This is what I have observed throughout my teaching career.

So sometimes, it’s really not as simple as just music and me.

It’s music and me and my students and their parents.

It’s really so much more, in a positive way.