Rainhat has been sitting on ice for a while now, I’ve been too busy with school to have time to do much else. I have way more to do this semester than I did before the summer break. This summer was also quite hectic. My girlfriend and I got married at the end of August, and organizing everything for the wedding was pretty crazy. But it turned out great in the end. We had a great wedding and a nice party afterwards with good food, good music and dancing with friends and family.
But holy crap, does time fly… Has it already been five months since the last post? Wow.
School has been both interesting and a pain in the ass. The bad planning and lack of communication annoys me, but there are many good things too. I just came back from three weeks of intership at a music school, where I was teaching students of all levels from 8-year old beginners to 30-year olds who made me feel like I probably should practice more. I got to teach both on flute and guitar, which was interesting. I haven’t taught students that young on guitar before, and though it was a bit of a challenge trying to remember all the very basic stuff you need to keep an eye on, it was loads fun!
Overall, I think the biggest challenge right now is just that – trying to remember that I need to keep an eye on all the basics. I don’t mean to sound conceited, but after having played on a more or less professional level for quite a while, you just start taking the basic stuff for granted. Things like knowing how to hold the flute, how to get a sound out of it and pressing all the right buttons just come automatically, you don’t really have to think about them anymore. But when you’re 9 years old and just started playing a month ago, those things aren’t quite so obvious. I really had to remind myself of that and remember to keep an eye on fingers, posture and other things. By the end of the internship I think I was doing quite well. My mentor was a teacher who had been teaching there for about 35 years, and thanks to him interrupting me every once in a while to give me pointers and advice, I think I really learned a lot! I wish my other mentors did that too. School is all good and fine, but there’s no better place for learning how to teach than at a school where you’re actually teaching. And having someone give you advice in a real life situation is absolutely invaluable.
Only 8 more months to go until I graduate as a teacher. Phew…
Sami-so good to see you posting again. Agree absolutely with you about the importance of basics and hands-on experience. Two things I came to learn were supremely important when I coached gymnastics. Take care, my friend. Give my best to your wife.
Thanks! Will do!