THE TEACHER THAT MADE ME WANT TO BE A TEACHER AGAIN

I was once teaching Guitar in a music school in New Jersey.  From my apartment in Queens, I took the train to Port Authority to catch a bus for a 45-minute ride to the school.  It was the only teaching gig I had and I only had about 4 or 5 students per week.  Those were some hard times!

I came to this school once a week for what was about 2 plus years.

The staff there were nice enough but the demand for guitar teachers were extremely low.  It may have been the fierce competition from other neighboring music schools and not enough interest from the community overall.  I tried to stick it through and tried to stay positive. Thinking maybe THIS TIME I will get more....

While I had my 3 to 5 students every Sundat who sporadically came in and out one at a time the two or three piano teachers next door to me had students coming in and out constantly like a Starbucks during the rush hour. .

 Piano was, and probably still is, the most popular instrument for music lessons because 1) piano is considered the basic/ultimate instrument and known by many as the “king of instruments” and 2) Pianists have an image of being intellectual, elegant and sophisticated compared to a guitarist who are quickly labeled as too casual, a renegade, and not serious, proper or schooled. The guitar to some people is just a toy, or a hobby instrument, not refined and sophisticated enough to be recognized as prestigious.   There definitely is still a sort of bad reputation with Guitar compared to Piano or Violin which I’m still fighting constantly every day.  Perhaps another topic to write about? Anyways…

I envied all the piano teachers and I wished for a moment that I was also a piano teacher so that I can also join in on the busyness.  Actually, it was so depressing that I was thinking about quitting teaching music altogether. That was until I started talking to the most popular teacher in the school.  Her name is Yoko.

 Yoko, who is an elderly woman, is quite a legend around the area.  She was so popular that she had a waiting list for students to study with her!   Parents all knew her name through word of mouth that she is THE ONE to get as a piano teacher for their sons and  daughters.  Just Unbelievable!  I was so envious and became really curious about Yoko and her teaching methods.   

Often times we share a bus ride back to or from Manhattan and I started chatting with her a bit and tried to pick her brain to figure out how she had so many students.  I still remember how she complained how she had to teach 9 hours straight with no break.  Part of me was impressed and the other half I was honestly angry every time as if she was rubbing it in how busy she is compared to me.   Meanwhile, I was crying and begging for more students to come in for at least a trial lesson in my quiet little corner booth there.  I wished I had the luxury to say that I have way too many students!

Her schedule was so jam packed that she literally had no time to eat or drink until she finished teaching the last student of the day/night.  Her students would NEVER miss a lesson every week even if it was snowing like crazy outside or it was a national holiday when the school was open! She would rarely get a “lucky” break when a student called out sick or that something came up.  I once saw Yoko running to the bathroom because she barely even had time to relieve herself.  I never seen a woman at her age run so fast though!  I believe she taught 6 days a week over 40 hours a week for several years. Her only day off was Monday because that was the only day the school was closed.  Otherwise, should have been working 7 days a week! 

From having conversation's with her every week I came to understand why she was the most popular teacher in the school.   She shared with me a lot of great tips and tricks which really got me inspired.   Yoko had incredible amount of material for her students and it looked like a lot of her material was made by hand! She must have spent hundreds of hours outside of school to prepare them.  Yoko made flash cards, pictures, work sheets, dittos…etc 

This is the labor of love that I think set her apart with the other teachers. 

 Compared to me, I was using the same stupid guitar book, playing the same boring songs with all my students and following it blindly like sheep.   Yoko opened my eyes to try to bring not just value but also excitement for the students. She really got me excited to try something new, bring in some original material, try different approaches.   Her many advices given to me were a big wake up call for me to either change or die.  My attitude was not quite there and looking back now I wasn’t hungry enough and was just too lazy and naive.  I didn't put the enough extra effort to prepare and I think I wasn't really 

  Another thing I picked up on was that she had an extraordinary ability to communicate with her students.  First of all, her voice is as LOUD as all the pianos and other instruments playing in the school combined! (Hey, I would know this because I didn't have much else to do when I had very little students)  Something about her voice though...It wasn't just LOUD but there was a layer of kindness, energy and warmth that is quite unique unlike a teacher just shouting out random stuff to the student in an irritated way. Her voice has a way of sticking with you in a weird way.  I can't put my finger on it but I try to mimic this effect with y students.  It might simply be just a method of constantly repeating the same instructions in a clean and clear way to get it in the students heads. 

She gave me new inspiration to continue teaching again and I owe her the utmost gratitude as a human being.  

My days with that school ended eventually but I got a lucky break and found a different school in NYC where I got a second chance.  Thankfully, I am getting more and more students each year.  The change in environment was definitely a blessing but I wouldn't have been successful at gaining students if it wasn't for me changing the way I teach Guitar.   I really do owe it all to Yoko.  These days I also find myself complaining about my schedule like how Yoko complained that her schedule is too jam packed!

The reason I wrote this post is because I received a message from Yoko not too long ago.  She wrote that she is retiring and going back to Japan for good.  When I received that message I was actually in the middle of taking care of my newborn son and really didn’t get a chance to respond.  I really wished I met her one last time before she flew back to Japan.  I wanted to tell her in person how she changed my life.  She gave me hope and pride to teach music and helped me realize my passion for teaching.  

Dear Yoko-san, 

Thank you for all the knowledge you have shared with me.  You touched many hearts no doubt about it! You inspired me to be a better teacher and better human being and I can’t thank you enough!  I hope you enjoy your golden years and please take care of yourself.  I hope that I can meet you again some day in the near future.

All the best,

Chris 

HOW I FEEL ABOUT STANDARDIZED TESTS

Over the years, I’ve been very skeptical about tests, exams & competitions especially for judging musical skill.  “Just because you do well on a test, it doesn’t mean you are smart” as many smart alec kids would say as an excuse to not do their homework.  While I don't completely disagree with this, there isn’t much of an alternative to measure someone’s ability for certain subjects.  I guess these things are the necessary evil.

Ever since I got on board to encourage students to participate in the NYSSMA/ABRSM exams I always say that “you have to play the game the right way to win”. Kids like games so I use this metaphor a lot.  “If you don’t play by the rules. You won’t score high. If you want a good score you have to follow their rules and play the game correctly.”  

It's really pretty simple. 

The whole propaganda of “it looks good on a college resume” or “It’s a good opportunity for students to be judged by pros” and scoring well on these tests are “something to work towards”. My biggest reason for encouraging students though is more beyond the music education scope.

 The students who do well and score high will obviously be happy with their achievement for the students and the parents, teachers and school staff would be genuinely ecstatic for them. Hopefully, they will learn such lessons as "preparation is key" or "be humble and don’t let your ego get the best of you". "Expect the unexpected" or "better safe than sorry" is also a key lesson to be taught. For example, I prepared all my students with sight-reading examples that are one level harder than the level they are taking as a way to sort of prepare them for the worst.  

If the students didn't score as high as they hoped many people would be disappointed no doubt about it.  The kid will be crushed, depressed and the parents either would feel for their poor souls or actually be quite disappointed as well and even angry and mad towards the student or even at the teacher too.  It can induce a lot of negative vibes for sure.

But we have to remember that this is just some classical-based niche guitar exam that means practically nothing in merit (don’t tell that to the parents!) 

I think it is a great experience to learn and experience "failure" and how to deal with it after the fact.  There maybe some risks that I will lose a student because they get so upset with their results but it is a risk I am willing to take for the sake of the children.  It is a great way to also listen to constructive criticism and learn to adapt and adjust to improve and do better the next time around.  It is certainly better than everyone getting a participation trophy at the end.  We need to teach our future generation to survive on their own and not get used to being spoon fed all the time.  

This year all my students did very well on their NYSSMA exams!

7 of my students took it which is a record for me.  Of course, WAAAY more piano & violin students in my school took the exams but 7 is not too shabby for a Guitar teacher who had no formal training in Classical Guitar! 

2 of my students had a "meh" kind of reaction because they were one point off from scoring an “outstanding”.

One of them, I was a little shocked he didn't do better.  Actually, he is the one who inspired me to write this post.  He looked quite disappointed and I felt bad for him when he told me the results but at the same time he is still so young and he's got a lot going for him already.  His parents are also super supportive, loving and are they're not the kind who expect perfect scores on everything their child does.     

For Next year I’m shooting for 10 students to take the NYSSMA exams.  I would love it if I can encourage more students!

I look forward to another year of teaching my students not just the joys of guitar playing but also to prepare them for their future by throwing in a healthy dose of life lessons through music.