RE: developing musicians and a musical culture

[chrismandel@juno.com]

heres an idea for teachers, especialy piano and drums.  Everyone, 
especially kids, want to just bang on the instrument and not learn 
anything.  the teachers job is to say "no, no, Billy, thats bad" and then 
get them started on scales and Mary Had a Little Lamb.  Step one is to 
take all freedom and creativity out of the hands of the student.  
Here's my idea: instead of oppressing this creative impulse, work with it, 
shape it.  Start out with a whole lesson of banging if need be.  Then, 
banging with just white notes, then black notes, then the key of FMaj, 
then just quarter notes, then over blues chords, then Mary Had a Little 
Lamb in the right hand with loud banging in the left.  The idea is to 
slowly add technique to the already existing creativity instead of 
stifling the creativity.  One of the best lessons of ever taught was when 
I was trading 2s with my student and I told him to make me laugh so hard I 
couldn't play.  What insued was 20 minutes of gigles, funny noises, and 
pure creativity.

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