My name is Joel Pacheco. I've been a musician as long as I've been old enough to have the capacity to speak. I can't remember a time when I wasn't involved with music at one time or another in my life. I can remember my first musical epiphany like it was ten seconds ago. I was about five years old and my father was driving us (the family) back home from church one night. I remember him having the radio station on and because it was his favorite radio station I would hear certain songs repeated throughout the course of week. It was an oldies station so of course I heard bands such as the Beach Boys, The Beetles, and Queen. I also heard other solo artists like Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder. This particular night I heard Stevie Wonders' My Cherie Amour and I was captivated by how easy the melody was to remember. I kept humming it in my head all the way back to the house and when I finally got inside I ran straight to our old organ that was tucked in a corner and with one finger began playing the melody as I was hearing it in my head. I felt really good about being able to hear the music in my head and then being able to play it back to myself. I was so elated that I called for my father to hear it so he could see what I was doing. It was then that I knew music was going to be my life.
I can't say it was the easiest road. I'm still on it as I type this post. However the lessons I've learned and will continue to learn invigorate me ever more everyday. My deepest belief is that music is the highest art of expression in our world. It is the only art that encompasses every sense we have at our disposal, whether you are the listener or the performer (and if your lucky, your both at the same time.)
As I was reading Teaching Music with Purpose by Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft I couldn't help but marvel at how much of a true musician this man was. It was as if I was reading something I will write 30 years from now. The first few pages to me were some of the most captivating because you could just read how this man wears his heart on his sleeve. Only a musician could truly express himself so clearly and yet so honestly. He really made me appreciate why I wanted to teach in the first place. On page 2 (yes that early in the book) he brings up a beautiful point of what it means to be a teacher; this is something I always believed but I was really happy to hear it from someone else's mouth. He speaks of a Zen teaching that speaks of a lotus flower. This flower is extremely beautiful, to say the least, and yet it grows and what is seemingly the "ugliest" of places: a swamp. He mentions afterwards that we must "reach down to where our students are, no matter how 'muddy' that is, and help them bloom." What a beautiful way to picture the profession I have so willingly and joyfully chosen to pursue.
I honestly believe every student I get to teach, however long or short that time may be with them, can bloom into a flower that beautiful if I try my best to help them see how beautiful music can be and is.
As I continued to read Dr. Boonshaft's book I couldn't help but notice how besides insisting that teachers not give up on students, he also urges us to never feel as though we can't enjoy the moments that take us to the goals we ultimately want to reach. In chapter three of Teaching Music with Purpose, Dr. Boonshaft states that we "must keep sight of the goal and constantly encourage growth, but never allow it to loom so greatly as to be daunting." I take this to heart because when I see a student who has never even seen a music note, and I get to be the first person in their lives to thrill them in the world that is music, sometimes I can think to myself "If this student understands A, B, and C then they will be capable of doing X, Y, and Z so I must help them get there by doing 1, 2, and 3". I've made up a plan without thinking about how joyful it will be to watch their faces light up when they play a C major scale in sixteenth notes with both hands up and down two octaves on the piano. Or when they have that "Aha" moment as soon as they start seeing patterns and sequences in music that before used to fly right over their heads, figuratively of course. Those are moments I treasure as a teacher because I remember those moments too when they happened to me.
One topic that Dr. Boonshaft speaks about that certainly drives his entire premise for the book is conducting. In the chapter "Independence of Hands", Dr. Boonshaft states "Freedom. A remarkable word. And when it comes to conducting, that's what its all about. Freedom to use our arms and hands in any way we wish to convey our interpretation of the music. So the only constraint we have is the limit of our imagination, not our physical ability to move in a way which could bring that imagination to life." How true. The art of conducting is one way in which music expresses itself through us. The way it can make us move or show emotion on our face portrays the power of the work we are attempting to conduct.
As comical as the clip above is, does it not show how much a conductor is truly responsible for in a large setting? Even in smaller settings such as chamber ensembles and such, a conductor can still have a great impact on the performers because he essentially becomes the person to guide them on their musical journey. And as a music educator that is exactly the position I feel I am put in everyday. I feel as though when I step in to the room and my students give me their attention, awaiting to hear what will come out of my mouth, I must take my place on my "podium" and be ready, willing, and able to instill the best musical values and techniques I can in my students, whether it be simply understanding how to decipher the notes on a set of lines and spaces, or working out a ii-V-I progression on their respective instruments.
There is one last thing I took away from Teaching Music with Purpose pertaining to why I love teaching. On pgs 174-175 Dr. Boonshaft states "Now when I am in the throes of rehearsal rapture, frenzy or elation I know my students think I take my job a bit too seriously...But they eventually realize this is an important part of my life...Those rehearsals are far more important to me than any concert could ever be - for rehearsals are where I can be a teacher." What a profound statement to make. Here is a man (Dr. Boonsahft) who has performed for former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, and yet his rehearsals are what he lives for; not the performances. Truly he is not only a musician but a true educator as well. And I have no choice but to concur with this sentiment. When I rehearse with a student, it becomes a moment where I can educe (greek for bring out; also the root word for educate) the musicianship from my student(s). Those are the times where performance is not for tens, hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people, but between me and my students. Moments I can enjoy and cherish as I watch them learn week after week, month after month, how music can affect their lives and then maybe just one day during one of those rehearsals they will perform their piece so well as to get that tinge in your body that every musician has felt when they were touched by something they performed well. Those are joyous moments I can't imagine wanting to miss out on.
I can't say it was the easiest road. I'm still on it as I type this post. However the lessons I've learned and will continue to learn invigorate me ever more everyday. My deepest belief is that music is the highest art of expression in our world. It is the only art that encompasses every sense we have at our disposal, whether you are the listener or the performer (and if your lucky, your both at the same time.)
As I was reading Teaching Music with Purpose by Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft I couldn't help but marvel at how much of a true musician this man was. It was as if I was reading something I will write 30 years from now. The first few pages to me were some of the most captivating because you could just read how this man wears his heart on his sleeve. Only a musician could truly express himself so clearly and yet so honestly. He really made me appreciate why I wanted to teach in the first place. On page 2 (yes that early in the book) he brings up a beautiful point of what it means to be a teacher; this is something I always believed but I was really happy to hear it from someone else's mouth. He speaks of a Zen teaching that speaks of a lotus flower. This flower is extremely beautiful, to say the least, and yet it grows and what is seemingly the "ugliest" of places: a swamp. He mentions afterwards that we must "reach down to where our students are, no matter how 'muddy' that is, and help them bloom." What a beautiful way to picture the profession I have so willingly and joyfully chosen to pursue.
I honestly believe every student I get to teach, however long or short that time may be with them, can bloom into a flower that beautiful if I try my best to help them see how beautiful music can be and is.
As I continued to read Dr. Boonshaft's book I couldn't help but notice how besides insisting that teachers not give up on students, he also urges us to never feel as though we can't enjoy the moments that take us to the goals we ultimately want to reach. In chapter three of Teaching Music with Purpose, Dr. Boonshaft states that we "must keep sight of the goal and constantly encourage growth, but never allow it to loom so greatly as to be daunting." I take this to heart because when I see a student who has never even seen a music note, and I get to be the first person in their lives to thrill them in the world that is music, sometimes I can think to myself "If this student understands A, B, and C then they will be capable of doing X, Y, and Z so I must help them get there by doing 1, 2, and 3". I've made up a plan without thinking about how joyful it will be to watch their faces light up when they play a C major scale in sixteenth notes with both hands up and down two octaves on the piano. Or when they have that "Aha" moment as soon as they start seeing patterns and sequences in music that before used to fly right over their heads, figuratively of course. Those are moments I treasure as a teacher because I remember those moments too when they happened to me.
One topic that Dr. Boonshaft speaks about that certainly drives his entire premise for the book is conducting. In the chapter "Independence of Hands", Dr. Boonshaft states "Freedom. A remarkable word. And when it comes to conducting, that's what its all about. Freedom to use our arms and hands in any way we wish to convey our interpretation of the music. So the only constraint we have is the limit of our imagination, not our physical ability to move in a way which could bring that imagination to life." How true. The art of conducting is one way in which music expresses itself through us. The way it can make us move or show emotion on our face portrays the power of the work we are attempting to conduct.
As comical as the clip above is, does it not show how much a conductor is truly responsible for in a large setting? Even in smaller settings such as chamber ensembles and such, a conductor can still have a great impact on the performers because he essentially becomes the person to guide them on their musical journey. And as a music educator that is exactly the position I feel I am put in everyday. I feel as though when I step in to the room and my students give me their attention, awaiting to hear what will come out of my mouth, I must take my place on my "podium" and be ready, willing, and able to instill the best musical values and techniques I can in my students, whether it be simply understanding how to decipher the notes on a set of lines and spaces, or working out a ii-V-I progression on their respective instruments.
There is one last thing I took away from Teaching Music with Purpose pertaining to why I love teaching. On pgs 174-175 Dr. Boonshaft states "Now when I am in the throes of rehearsal rapture, frenzy or elation I know my students think I take my job a bit too seriously...But they eventually realize this is an important part of my life...Those rehearsals are far more important to me than any concert could ever be - for rehearsals are where I can be a teacher." What a profound statement to make. Here is a man (Dr. Boonsahft) who has performed for former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, and yet his rehearsals are what he lives for; not the performances. Truly he is not only a musician but a true educator as well. And I have no choice but to concur with this sentiment. When I rehearse with a student, it becomes a moment where I can educe (greek for bring out; also the root word for educate) the musicianship from my student(s). Those are the times where performance is not for tens, hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people, but between me and my students. Moments I can enjoy and cherish as I watch them learn week after week, month after month, how music can affect their lives and then maybe just one day during one of those rehearsals they will perform their piece so well as to get that tinge in your body that every musician has felt when they were touched by something they performed well. Those are joyous moments I can't imagine wanting to miss out on.
Think about adding links to the article. Its on the internet. For example, link to Boonshafts book on Amazon. Link to My Cherie Amour, etc..
ReplyDeleteA key point I read is that when you step on the podium you must be READY.
OK. Thank you.
DeleteAlso with Boonshaft, I couldn't help but notice how when it came to being ready, it started with how the music made you feel and how enjoyable it should be for you to be in that position.
"I honestly believe every student I get to teach, however long or short that time may be with them, can bloom into a flower that beautiful if I try my best to help them see how beautiful music can be and is."
ReplyDeleteWell put Joel. I couldn't have said it better myself. My only hope is that the students I teach will share at least some of the love that I have for such a beautiful art form and continue the cycle by passing on some of the knowledge I give them to others.