Paying Attention

I feel good about the two steelpan classes i taught today. Though i hate to admit it, its increasingly difficult to stay invested in teaching. i love my students, actually i love watching them discover their potential but it seems there's a longer ramp up time. We have to get through the, "i dont feel like it" and "its too hard" and "i'm tired" and all of the other tactics that people use to avoid trying something new, that they might potentially fail. in some cases, its real. Students are tired, or bored, or feel afraid of the challenge of playing an instrument. my problem/challenge is taking the time and patience/energy to determine the difference.

how do you teach students to focus? really to listen...to be in the present and truly put themselves into what they're doing. This is one of my goals as a teacher. I've learned to use my tone of voice and repetition and short, direct statements to explain information and give directions. in an ensemble class for students, mostly without prior musical training, for whom the steelpan is their first instrument, clear direction is key.

But there's more to the challenge. They seem to need quick response and lots of activity. they can easily get lost in their thoughts or in a conversation with another student. Generally though there's not too much of this but just enough that its distracting to learning; especially here since the goal is to play music from memory.

I'm experimenting with different ways to place students on instruments. sometimes its based on interest or skill, or on personality, character or style. today, i noticed that one of my tenth grade students, who was initially on a double tenor pan, was playing in a melodic way, just randomly hitting a series of notes, so i asked him to switch to a lead. he went there, but because the melody was too challenging, i think, he started distracting the student next to him. he seemed particularly interested in the rhythms the Double Gitta and Bass were playing so i asked him to learn it on drums. it was a good move. enough of a challenge to keep him focused but not frustrated. i think it was a good move...time will tell.

my challenge though is to teach something else, much more difficult than playing pan. staying focused is something i realize students (and adults) are struggling with. i used to think it was all on the teacher -- that my lesson plans and ability to implement them were the key to keeping students engaged. yes that's crucial but not everything. students must also learn to be engaged. That paying attention and staying with an activity, is an intentional act; it happens by choice. i want them to figure out how to present, in the moment. This means learning to enjoy what they are doing, and to find something interesting/appealing in each moment, in each activity.

more importantly i want them to learn to perform a sort of diagnosis to determine what they need need physically to stay engaged. Is it water before class or during class? Is it a different meal at lunch? is it more rest or simply changing their posture. this is about learning to be in tuned with one's mind, body and soul. Perhaps its naive, not sure but that's my goal as a teacher. Yes they learn to play music and they learn steelpan, but this its a means to an end. This is about "teaching to trangress..."

this is now my tenth year teaching pan, and my seventh year with this school and through the tough moments what keeps me going is the remembering to be in the moment. to appreciate each classroom experience not for what i'd like it to be but for what it is, a learning experience for my students and for me.