Some superheroes have x-ray vision. Some have invisibility. Others, telepathy, teleportation or even
time-travel. But there’s another
superpower we tend to forget about. As a
music teacher, your superpower is patience.
And, luckily, no matter how hard your
students try to diminish it, it’s a power that never expires.
There’s a lot you need patience for. The student who just doesn’t get the concept
you’ve explained five different ways.
The kid who forgets their book week after week. The one who takes three weeks to nail that scale
passage that other students only take one week.
Now, if you’re The Flash, and you need to get from one end
of the city to the other quickly, you’re not going to take the bus, right? Clearly, you’d employ your enhanced running
skills. When you teach music, you need
to employ the same line of thinking: if you’ve got something that needs doing,
use your superpower. That’s why you have
it.
So instead of losing your temper and shouting at Joey, next
time he forgets his books, tell him he needs to put his piano book in his
schoolbag on Monday night for his lesson on Tuesday. Make up a sticker chart and bribe him to
remember it. And have a spare copy in
your studio.
When Harriet is still struggling to remember the names of
the guitar strings after you’ve told her six times, don’t huff and mutter under
your breath at how stupid she is; help her to create a mnemonic that means
something to her.
The more you use your power, the stronger it becomes.
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