Music teachers are an important part of people's lives, especially if they are involved in music. For me, I can remember all of my teachers, and how each one of them taught in an unique way, impacting my learning in different ways. But some people have never had a music teacher, and the best way for them to learn about how music teaching and learning happens is through media. Music teachers have been portrayed in movies in many different ways, and not all of them are the same.
The first movie music teacher that comes to my mind is Dewey Finn (Jack Black) from School of Rock. This movie is a comedy, and Dewey Finn isn't even a real teacher in it, but just pretending to be qualified to get the job. While in real life this would be alarming and illegal, its all just fiction, so its okay to laugh at. Dewey isn't a real teacher, music or otherwise, at the beginning of the film, but he still engages in music teaching throughout the movie, and I think that his approach to teaching is worth looking at.
The first thing that stands out to me about Dewey Finn is how much positive reinforcement he gives the kids. It's clear to me that he wants them to have fun with music. He cares about the sound of the group, but he knows that they won't sound good if they're not excited to sound good. When Freddy, the drummer tells him that he's a percussionist, one of the other kids tries to put him down. Dewey doesn't let this happen, and shows him how valuable his skills are. After this clip, he gives each of the students a clear and defined role, and tells them all that their role is important, because it is. Even if you're not playing on stage, there's still important work that needs to be done behind stage. Finding a role that a student likes and feels is important is important to getting a student to work and have fun. Because these kids are so young (4th Grade), its important to let them have fun and do things they feel are fun. Dewey is getting these kids involved in something fun and rewarding and that's important.
There are some major problems with Dewey's teaching career though. The main one is that it is illegal. Impersonating someone else to get a job that you're very unqualified for is bound to raise some eyebrows in court. But, it is silly movie for kids, so we can suspend our disbelief. Another problem I have with Dewey's teaching, especially at first, is that he's more in it for himself. He wants the kids to win the Battle of the Bands to further some complicated plot to get his own band back and pay his rent. He sees potential in the kids, and wants them to pursue music the way he wants to. Ironically, that's what the parents of these kids are doing too, just with classical music instead of rock. We are supposed to agree with Dewey, that getting the kids to play rock is better, but it's a little bit hypocritical. Kids should be allowed to experiment. They should be allowed to play rock music if they want, or classical music, or jazz or country or whatever they want. I think that sometimes music teachers fall into the trap of deciding what they want their students to do, which, especially with young students, can be counter productive to their learning.
The second clip that caught my eye is a Youtube comedy skit: "10 different types of music teachers". What I found interesting about this video is that it's made in the students perspective. The guys who made it are musicians, and have taken lessons from music teachers, and speak from experience. This is quite critical of teachers, but I think it's interesting to see something from the students point of view.
The thing I like about this video is how it shows how certain things can be counterproductive. In the first teacher clip, it shows how being really intense can stop a student from being successful. The stress of a potentially angry teacher can make it really hard to play well. The student is telling himself "don't cry". I can remember being in a lesson and having to tell myself the same thing. While sometimes stress can make someone practice a little harder, or take something a little more seriously, constant stress isn't good for anyone. If a situation like this is an everyday occurrence, something needs to change. Teacher number 4 shows a different problem, where the teacher isn't pushing enough. A balance needs to be found, to help the student to succeed. Pushing too hard is a problem, and not pushing enough is a problem too. Teachers number 3 and 8 show that professionalism is important when teaching. It earns your students respect which is essential for good teaching and learning. If a teacher doesn't take the teaching seriously, the student can tell, and then they wont take it seriously either. But while this video shows a lot of "don't do this" and "don't do that", its important to learn what we should do. I think that what we should do depends on the student. Each person is different, and has different needs. Learning how a student learns and works is a very important part of being a successful teacher
Comments