Student Interview
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Scroll down for reflection:
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When interviewing Ethan I found it interesting how when coming to university (for music) it was his listening that changed the most. Music is the kind of faculty where unless you’re in it, you don’t know how it really works. Many people have the misconception that in a music degree all you do is play your instrument, little do they know there are many other fields besides performance. When interviewing Stefany one thing stuck out from the rest. She said, she never could become a musician. Why is it that someone who studied classical guitar, took exams, but just never pursued it any further think she was never a musician? It reminded me of a class discussion about Ella Fitzgerald who thought she wasn’t a musician, because she couldn’t read music. Why do some people think just because they can’t read music that doesn’t make them a musician? I feel like there is something that needs to be done in early music education to empower students in these situations. To quote my music teacher Angela Maccaroni, her biggest lesson is “yes you can”. But even with that it begs the question, in a musical journey when is someone classified as a musician? I have had teachers in the past say you’re not really a musician unless you can read music (while playing a western style instrument), something I believe to be untrue. In my opinion a person becomes a musician when they consistently practice an instrument and are striving to become better. Another point Stefany made was she didn’t like it when her teacher treated her like an adult. That shocked me, in all of our classes we’ve talked about always maintaining a professional relationship with the students and treating them as we would any other person, no matter their age. I can relate to her point because I know especially in my early years of music if someone wasn’t a little strict about me practicing, it wouldn’t happen. This relates to that overall point in previous reflections of maintaining a healthy balance between not showing power over your students but being able to give them a slight nudge in the right direction. I can fully admit that even still sometimes I need someone to be strict with me or something might not happen, whether it’s chores, school work, or even practicing for my GIM classes. But because of that I have now learned to be strict with myself and have my own discipline for staying on track.