Teachers and Fan Influence

Music teachers and instructors may not realize the impact that they have on a kid's musical aspirations. A teacher saying, "you should go to a music camp with other kids like you" may mean so much at a critical time. Conversely, a struggling band getting a thumbs up of adoration from a young fan may be just enough to keep them going until they find their big break.

The impact of these vignettes may never be shared between the two parties, but the ripples of the experience may last.

The following is an exploration of what may be one of those experiences, a glimpse into the day of a teacher that may have changed "Rebel" forever. Here is a snippet, but read the whole post entitled School of Rock.

A small handful of students have formed a rock band and use the space to practice - more often than not, the band teacher lets them leave their drum kit set up onstage and they have spare amps stored in the band lockers that he lets them borrow. I peek in and notice Rebel's onstage, mic in hand, singing a My Chemical Romance tune. She actually sounds pretty good. I wander in and sit down on one of the tables. There's a handful of kids just hanging out and listening. One of my other students is on drums, another is playing bass. I don't recognize the guitarist. There's another girl I don't recognize with a mic in her hand and every so often she sings harmony. After the song ends, the bassit and drummer switch places. They break into some Nirvana and I smile. Rebel notices I've come to watch and shakes her hair in front of her face, eventually turns and faces the drummer, trying to hide herself from my view, but she doesn't stop singing.

Do you have a musical inspiration story to tell?

Comments

[Bret]

This is so true, an ounce of encouragement can make all the difference in the world. Also letting kids know that it's okay to make music that may not be commercially acceptable is important -- fostering creativity and innovation. I see too many kids who are told what they are doing will never "sell." Selling one's music isn't worth it if one is not happy with what they are selling, you know?