Teaching piano
Ah, there are some days when I really love my job.
I mean, i love my job pretty much all the time. I wish I had a few more perks though... I wish I could teach a full 40 hours a week (school schedules prevent that from happening), earn paid vacation hours (and other pretty standard benefits), and work mornings instead of evenings. Then it would be perfect. But even without those things, I still really love my job.
When I was growing up, I never even once thought "hey I want to be a piano teacher." I think for a long time I actually wanted to do something in the English field, writing or editing... (which I still think would be a lot of fun). The idea of being a piano teacher didnt really occur to me until I was studying music in college. And even then, I didnt really think i'd be very good at it (I'm not the greatest pianist around). But I took a class on piano pedagogy and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it, and I was pretty good at it too. Not only that, but other people thought I was good as well.
One of the requirements for the class was to observe and student-teach with an established local piano teacher for a short period of time. I went into this totally intimidated. The last thing I wanted was to have to teach someone else's students in front of them... and then have them tell me how good (or bad) i did. But the first time I had to teach one of the students, it was amazing. I dont even know how I did it, but I think whatever I did was awesome. It seemed like one of those out of body experiences. I could see myself going through these motions but I felt kind of disconnected from myself. The best way I could probably describe it is: it felt like I had just tapped into a "teaching power" that was previously unknown to me. After working with the teacher came the moment of truth... her critique of me. And all she said was "whatever you are doing, keep doing it and you'll make a great teacher." What a great thing to say! But I wanted to know what I was doing poorly so I could improve, so I asked her for some specific constructive criticism, and she just said "you do a great job of connecting with the kids, even though you've only known them a short time, I think that's going to be the thing that sets you apart." Nothing negative (weird since we are trained to constantly point out what everyone is doing wrong). I was really touched by what she said. And it gave me the confidence I needed in order to become a teacher.
So now that is my selected occupation. I teach. I have a full studio with a bunch of really great kids. Most of them are beginners and they havent been playing long (less than a year). But it amazes me how well they are doing. I dont think most people realize how difficult playing an instrument can be. It takes a LOT of work, consistent work too, cramming gets you no where (believe me I've tried). I have a lot of respect for these kids I see every week, not everyone has the dedication needed for learning piano. But I count myself fortunate to have been blessed with a great job, filled with great students.
But enough of that for now... I need to go eat dinner.
I mean, i love my job pretty much all the time. I wish I had a few more perks though... I wish I could teach a full 40 hours a week (school schedules prevent that from happening), earn paid vacation hours (and other pretty standard benefits), and work mornings instead of evenings. Then it would be perfect. But even without those things, I still really love my job.
When I was growing up, I never even once thought "hey I want to be a piano teacher." I think for a long time I actually wanted to do something in the English field, writing or editing... (which I still think would be a lot of fun). The idea of being a piano teacher didnt really occur to me until I was studying music in college. And even then, I didnt really think i'd be very good at it (I'm not the greatest pianist around). But I took a class on piano pedagogy and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it, and I was pretty good at it too. Not only that, but other people thought I was good as well.
One of the requirements for the class was to observe and student-teach with an established local piano teacher for a short period of time. I went into this totally intimidated. The last thing I wanted was to have to teach someone else's students in front of them... and then have them tell me how good (or bad) i did. But the first time I had to teach one of the students, it was amazing. I dont even know how I did it, but I think whatever I did was awesome. It seemed like one of those out of body experiences. I could see myself going through these motions but I felt kind of disconnected from myself. The best way I could probably describe it is: it felt like I had just tapped into a "teaching power" that was previously unknown to me. After working with the teacher came the moment of truth... her critique of me. And all she said was "whatever you are doing, keep doing it and you'll make a great teacher." What a great thing to say! But I wanted to know what I was doing poorly so I could improve, so I asked her for some specific constructive criticism, and she just said "you do a great job of connecting with the kids, even though you've only known them a short time, I think that's going to be the thing that sets you apart." Nothing negative (weird since we are trained to constantly point out what everyone is doing wrong). I was really touched by what she said. And it gave me the confidence I needed in order to become a teacher.
So now that is my selected occupation. I teach. I have a full studio with a bunch of really great kids. Most of them are beginners and they havent been playing long (less than a year). But it amazes me how well they are doing. I dont think most people realize how difficult playing an instrument can be. It takes a LOT of work, consistent work too, cramming gets you no where (believe me I've tried). I have a lot of respect for these kids I see every week, not everyone has the dedication needed for learning piano. But I count myself fortunate to have been blessed with a great job, filled with great students.
But enough of that for now... I need to go eat dinner.
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