Comment #1094

2009-06-13T17:27:39Z

Perfectly appropriate. John Holt spent a lot of time trying to removed his students' fear, rightly (I think) seeing it as the biggest hindrance to their learning. Much of that fear he saw as instilled by the school, and I agree that's often the case, but I think it can come much earlier than that. In my case, my first memories of fear are related to kindergarten, but I don't have a lot of clear memories before that, so it's hard to say. I think some folks are more prone to it than others, and things that wouldn't faze someone else -- or might even stimulate and inspire him -- can do a lot of harm in the more sensitive. Parents, siblings, and certainly peers can inflict a lot of damage that way, even if unintentionally. (Though in the case of peers and siblings it often is intentional.)

I'm not offering much help. All I know is that it's a lot easier to instill fear than to heal it. Certainly learning that others make mistakes and don't quit should help. Ken Robinsons' book and lecture both say (I'm paraphrasing) that nothing creative happens if you're not willing to make a mistake. I also remember Marva Collins' saying that she drummed into all her students: If you can't make a mistake, you can't make anything.

Comment #1093

2009-06-13T06:58:27Z

I was disturbed the other day that one of my piano students refused to play the piece she had started to pick out by ear in the last lesson and gave the reason "I'm terrible at it." When she did sit down to play, it was beautiful up to the end where she needed some help because it was full of difficult intervals. I asked her how she thought she did and she said "bad," which in her mind was no better than terrible. I know she likes piano and playing by ear, and it troubled me that she should be a perfectionist at such a young age. I know she goes to a school that is as encouraging as it gets, and I've spoken to her teacher, who does not place great emphasis on grades and tests, but rather on character. So why, still, is she devastated over a less than perfect spelling test, and depressed over not being perfect at piano?

Here's one advantage of not being a pianist though I teach it, when I played through the same piece (picking it out by ear in the key she had chosen) I made five mistakes (as my other student gleefully pointed out to me). At the first mistake my depressed student turned to me with a smile of bewilderment and could it have been hope? Yes, the teacher makes mistakes, too.

Still, what is causing it and what can I do about it?

Sorry to hijack, I think it is relevant somehow, but can't quite bring it together.

Comments for sursumcorda.salemsattic.com/post/the-element

Comment #1094

Comment #1093