But Only He Who Sees, Takes off His Shoes
I began working on this post recently as I was sitting in my classroom with one student clicking away on his keyboard; the others are gone on class trips to other parts of Europe, so we took a break from our curriculum so he can explore his own creativity. Sometimes this life we live blows my mind. The student has decided that the day's class schedule makes a really great chord progression. So he's writing a song using those chords. As one does. The school year is off to a great start, and I find my role to be a multi-faceted one. I have two sections of group Piano 1 this semester, and from day one, I knew it would be exciting. One of my favorite things about teaching group piano is helping each student fill in the gaps of their basic musical knowledge. Already there are students who are playing pieces that would have felt impossible just one month ago. I'm continually reminded that good learning is a slow, deliberate process that can often feel tedious and even useless. ...