As usual, it didn’t take long before I found myself talking to one of the cellists, and then sitting down to give her a lesson. Lorena had only been playing for four months and so started with a short, open string piece – número 1 in her packet of songs. Given her age and level, I assumed we would spend just a few minutes together, and then I’d go on to observe and help out with other classes.
Three hours later, when we were on canción número 12, I realized that the people peeking into our room were her family members, and that classes had ended thirty minutes ago. Throughout our lesson I kept asking her if she wanted to stop and do something else, if she had another place to be, to which she always shook her head and she’d like to go on to the next piece. Even when a group of eight trumpets began playing Ode to Joy outside (this room had no window panes or doors, only lots of open air) and we couldn’t hear ourselves or each other, we kept on going. That afternoon led me to think about my own concept of time and its limitations. I would never think of giving a child a three-hour lesson; I’ve always reasoned that their attention span could not last that long. But I also haven’t ever planned a lesson that long because I’ve never thought I had that much to teach – that much to give. With the encouragement and affirmation from my new student, however, I reached into what I found to be a much deeper well of knowledge and competence than I thought.
Continue reading on my personal blog.
Andrea Landin
Sistema Fellow '13
Three hours later, when we were on canción número 12, I realized that the people peeking into our room were her family members, and that classes had ended thirty minutes ago. Throughout our lesson I kept asking her if she wanted to stop and do something else, if she had another place to be, to which she always shook her head and she’d like to go on to the next piece. Even when a group of eight trumpets began playing Ode to Joy outside (this room had no window panes or doors, only lots of open air) and we couldn’t hear ourselves or each other, we kept on going. That afternoon led me to think about my own concept of time and its limitations. I would never think of giving a child a three-hour lesson; I’ve always reasoned that their attention span could not last that long. But I also haven’t ever planned a lesson that long because I’ve never thought I had that much to teach – that much to give. With the encouragement and affirmation from my new student, however, I reached into what I found to be a much deeper well of knowledge and competence than I thought.
Continue reading on my personal blog.
Andrea Landin
Sistema Fellow '13
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