A Sore Lip

Taking a grade 3 girl back to class after her lesson today.

Girl: Oh, my lip really hurts!
Me: Why does your lip hurt?
Girl: I accidentally stuck a pin in it.
Me [gasping in sympathetic pain and covering my mouth]: Ouch!  Why did you stick a pin in your lip?
Girl: I didn't mean to, it was an accident.
Me: What sort of pin are we talking about?  A sewing pin?
Girl: No, one of those- [starts making jabbing motions with her hand] those-
Me: That looks like a vicious sort of pin...
Girl [laughing]: No... Um... A...  Oh. One of those pins that you use on the board.  That sort of pin.
Me [making a face]: Oh... That's not the best thing to do with those pins, you know.
Girl [still laughing]: I know!  I don't like those pins very much any more.

Ends With...

8-yr-old girl, just played a piece (Over the Rainbow, for those of you playing at home) after starting to learn it last week, quite well.  Except. It. Was. Not. As smooth. As I. Would have... Liked.

Me: What could you do to make this piece sound even better?
Girl: Ummm...
Me: Anything?
Girl [shrugging]: Ummm I don't know...  Play it louder?
Me: Hmm the word I'm thinking of starts with ssss .... [girl raises eyebrow] .. and ends with -moooother...
Girl: Sss...lower?
Me: Ahem.  Ends with mooother.
Girl: Umm... sss...
Me: Ssmooo... Smooo...
Girl [like she's really having to think about this]: Smooo... Slower?
Me: Smooo...ther.
Girl [light bulb]: Oh!  Smoother!  Smoother?  Yeah, smoother.

... And, breathe...  Thankfully, she's a delightful, normally switched-on, musical kid.

Cowbell

8-yr-old boy, whose mum's family is from either Germany or Austria.  I was trying to pick the next piece for him to learn - usually we pick one he's doing in classroom music.  And, if you haven't seen the 'Needs More Cowbell' music video on Youtube, do...

Me: Can you sing me a song you're learning at school?
Boy sings half-heartedly, and I can't really pick the words or the melody.
Boy: Can we do a piece that I can do as a duet, with my mum?
Me: Of course!  That would be great!  Does your mum play violin too?
Boy: Uh-uh.  Cowbell.
Me [suppressing a giggle - see video]: Ah.  Okay.
Boy: Ummm ... Can we learn Edelweiss?
Me: Just a minute [I go through it in my head to see if he'll be able to play the whole thing].  Yes!
Boy: Yay.  I know my mum can play it, too. [He then proceeded to sing it in letternames for me - impressive, but we're in a different key].

I can't wait to hear this cowbell-violin duet, eventually.  His first play of it was not bad at all.

The Blues

8-yr-old girl.  We were looking at a new piece, called "I Got Those Fiddle Blues".

Girl: What does the name mean?
Me: I was just about to ask you!  Do you know what it means if you have the blues?
Girl: Um, you go blue in the face?
Me [laughing]: Ah, no.  Well, probably not.  If you have the blues then you're a bit sad, so when you play this piece it should sound a bit sad, too.

Metronomes

8-yr-old boy is really unenthusiastic about violin (his dad makes him have lessons).  Last week, I said he needed to get acquainted with a metronome - best thing ever.  He loves it, I think because he gets to use his dad's phone, and he uses it every time he practices.  We put it on today, for a Minuet by Bach which has ta = 100-115 at the top.

Boy: I don't know what the hundred means.
Me: See how there's a ta there?  So you put your metronome onto to 100, and that's the same as your ta beat.
Boy: Oh.  [plays a bit] But that's so fast!
Me: Well, as you've only had this piece a week, we could make it a little bit slower.  Let's try 90. [Boy adjusts metronome, and we play a few phrases at that speed.  The opening passage is a bit of a challenge though].
Boy: Oh but it's so fast.  This piece is so hard!
Me: You know, we could put the metronome on even a bit slower.  Your examiner won't have their own metronome on, saying "Ahem, it's meant to be 100 and you're only playing it at 99".  If it was on.. 60... Then they might say it's a bit slow.
[Boy changes tempo to 81.  We play a bit more].
Boy [grinning cheekily]: Good thing we didn't make it 80.  They'd probably say something then.

Which One is D?

8-yr-old girl.  Not the most organised child...  Didn't have any time on the holidays to do any practice.  Obviously forgot a few essentials.

Me: Just to check you haven't forgotten too much... [she giggles guiltily] Let's have the D major scale.  [blank look] It's the do re mi- you know, goes up then down one step at a time.  Violin on shoulder.
Girl [sets up her posture relatively nicely]: Ummm - where does it start?
Me: The D major scale is going to start on D.  Do you remember where D is?
Girl [looking awkward]: ummm...
Me [loud whisper]: It's the string second from the left.
Girl [looks awkward]: ummm... which one is the left...?
Me: Oh dear.  Start on this string.

Once she got going, she was fine.  Thank goodness.

Chords, Continued

Last week, I introduced this 8-yr-old to the delights of squished diminished chords.  Today we took it a bit further.

Me: You play the fa, and I'll play the ti and re.  [We play these all together].  Now, how does that sound?
Girl [grinning, with a look of delight]: Scary!!
Me: You know, if we just add one more note, it can sound really different.  This time, I'm still going to play the ti and re.  You still play the fa, but can you play the so - the open D - at the same time?
Girl [with 'are you sure about this?' written all over her face]: Okay...
Me [once we've played, and her face registers delight all over again]: So? How does that sound?
Girl [still grinning]: Really happy!!

We then played that chord (dominant 7th) followed by its resolution, G major.  She was rather excited that it sounded so finished.

A Diminished Chord

On Monday, I was working on a new piece with an 8-yr-old.  We'd already sorted out the second fingers.  A little phrase kept repeating itself, C-A-F# (2 - open - 2).  I said that could form a chord, and had her play the C while I played the A and F#.

Me: What do you think it sounds like?
Girl: Umm...
Me: Do you think it sounds happy?
Girl: Not really.  But it's not really sad, either.  More... just... squished.
Me [smiling]: True... Do you think it sounds spooky at all?
Girl [squishing up her face, in that 'what is my teacher on about?' look]: Ah... I guess...

One thing I enjoy about teaching, is the new perspective brought to musical theory.  Having had ideas and concepts drilled into my brain for years, hearing new ideas from someone new to the concept is refreshing.

Second Fingers Sorted

Looking at a new piece with an 8-yr-old.

Me: What's the key signature?
Girl: C..No, F sharp.
Me: So, wh-
Girl: Do is G.
Me: Good... How are you going to do the first note?  High two or low?
Girl: Um... [thinks a bit]... High!
Me: Why? [this often makes them change their mind, regardless of whether or not they're correct]
Girl: Because it's a mi.
Me [delightfully surprised]: Yes!  How about on the D string?
Girl [slight thinking pause]: High.  Because it's a ti.
Me: A string?
Girl [takes a little while, I think she's thinking up the G major scale from the open G]: Low.  Because it's a fa, and fa is best friends with mi.

Yay!

Sight Reading

One of my little grade 3s is doing really well.  I had some Shostakovich duets on my table, and I decided to give her the first one (the first phrase or so) for some sight reading.  It's mostly do-able in first position, but it also has a high C#, and an A#.  Not notes she's actually learned how to play before.

Me: Okay, I want you to play from the beginning - no, you don't have to count those bars rest, just start from the beginning of the notes.  And play until there [about 8 bars].  So, what's the key signature?
Girl: F# and C#. 
Me: Do is?
Girl: D.
Me: Good.  Have a bit of a look... think through the rhythm... see if you have any questions... [girl obviously plays through in her head, then gets ready to play].  Oh.  Do you have any questions?
Girl: Ah, no... [like that was a really silly question on my part]
Me [pointing to the C#]: So, how are you going to play this note?
Girl: Isn't that just, like, like a 4th finger that's extra high?
Me [impressed]: Yep.  How about this note? [pointing to the A#]
Girl: Shouldn't that be..well, it's a 3rd finger, but it's not friends with 2 anymore but friends with 4?
Me: Okay, so you really didn't have any questions... Let's hear it.

She played it really well.  Counting included!  One very happy teacher.

Magic Elves

8-yr-old boy's last lesson for the year.  I teach his older sister, too, but she hasn't been able to come to the last few lessons.

Me: So, this is your last lesson for the year.  Would you like a Magic Elf? [like a Freddo frog, but with tingly bits in it - and shaped like an elf, obviously]
Boy [eyes lighting up]: Ooh, yes please!
Me: If I gave you another one, would it make its way to H?
Boy [head to one side, thinking about this seriously]: Ummm... Only if you give me 4.
Me: 4?!
Boy: Yeah... You know how C and I are as well, if I come home with 2 then they'll all want one!

He had a point.  He was the only to get a Magic Elf.

D C al Fine

8-yr-old boy, playing a piece with D. C. al Fine written at the end.  He did what he was meant to do (go back to the beginning and play until Fine), but I wanted to check he knew what it was called.

Me [pointing to the instruction]: At the end, what do you do?
Boy [sounding like and Aussie]: Dee-cal fine.  You go to there [points to top of piece], do the first line and 2 bars and then stop.
Me: Do you know what the D.C. actually stands for? [I point my index fingers on my head]
Boy: Use your brain?

I then did what I normally do - Da Capo, you can see the word 'cap' in Capo, you put your cap on your head, capo means head, fine means finish... But I did like his response.  One should always use one's brain.

Stressed

Grade 3 girl.  I'd just picked her up from her class.

Me: How are you?
Girl: Stressed.  Do I look stressed?  I'm really stressed.
Me: Oh no!  Why are you stressed?
Girl: My little brother said he would shoot me.  With his Nerf gun.
Me: ...Why...?
Girl: Well, I took in some Dr Seuss books to school, and he said if I don't bring them all back, he'd shoot me.  But, mum said it was okay for me to take them in, so obviously she didn't tell him that.  So, I took 4 in [she names 3 - sorry I forget which ones they are] but I can only find those 3... The problem is, I have no idea which one the 4th book is.  So I'm guessing I'm going to be shot.  With a Nerf gun.  By a 4-yr-old.  Probably in the eye.
Me: In the eye???
Girl: Well on the weekend, J came over, and he shot her in the eye. 
Me: Maybe your brother shouldn't be aiming guns at people's faces?
Girl: Oh it was an accident.  He'd already aimed when she stood in front of him and was, like, what? and he just... fired... So now I know ... that he knows... how much that can hurt... so I have to find that last book so I can take it back home so I don't get shot by my annoying little brother, in the eye, with a Nerf gun.  Can you see why I'm stressed???

What Dad Does

It's a long walk from the junior school classrooms to my teaching room.  On the way, I was talking with a grade 3 girl, and she mentioned her dad having to work on Saturday.

Me: What does your dad do?
Girl: Well, when people are about to go into surgery, he knocks them out by hitting them on the head with a hammer.  And when they're done, he wakes them up with a coffee.
Me: So ... he's an anaesthetist?
Girl: Yeah... but I prefer saying he knocks them out with a hammer!

Mango Yoghurt

This particular 8-yr-old boy is usually really good (ie focused) for about 20 minutes, sometimes 25... and then he starts to get a bit silly, and in recent weeks has ended the lesson talking in a made up language (of which I think there are 3 in his repertoire).  Today he walked into the lesson talking in a made up language, and he didn't switch to his focused self for very long at a time.  By the time he was packing up, I realised what I should have asked at the beginning.

Me [lightbulb]: Ah - what did you have for afternoon tea?
Boy [mumbles]
Me: Chocolate?  Is that what you said?  You had chocolate for afternoon tea?  That explains a lot...
Boy: No... Yoghurt.
Me: Yummmm.
Boy: Mango yoghurt.
Me: Double yum!
Boy: .... aaaannnnd ... I had a lot of it...

Evil Fish

I picked up a grade 3 boy from art today.  Incidentally, this was my first ever case of me asking for a particular child, and the teacher responding with "Yes!  ...good luck..."

Me: What were you working on in art?
Boy: We're painting schools of fishes, and they all have to swim that way [arms point to the right].  So I asked Mrs C if we could have an evil fish going that way [one index finger points to the left].
Me: What did she say?
Boy: Well, she said it was okay to have a fish swimming that way [left]... but not an evil fish.
Me: Okay... How would you paint an evil fish, anyway?
Boy [like, duh]: With its eyebrows pointing down.  And all the other fish are blue, but the evil fish is red.

So, beware red fish.

Eye Stuff

8-yr-old girl: Wow, you look really pretty today.  The skirt, the top, the shoes... earrings, lipstick... (touches her eyes while looking up at me)
Me: Mascara...?
Girl: No... you know, the purple stuff.
Me: That's not eyeshadow, I'm just really tired!

Four-Way Caps

8-yr-old boy, packing up his violin, sees his cap on the floor by the case.

Boy: Oh, I can't forget my cap.  It's new - and it's a four-way cap.  See, you can wear it this way [brim at the front, shade at the back] or this way [reverses it so he can just see out the little crescent].  Or this way [flips it so the shade bit is not hanging, but tucked inside, and the brim at the front again].  Or... hmmm... oh yeah, or this way [pulls the brim to the side, so he looks like a Cool Kid].

Big grin.

Best Friends and Alien Sounds

As I help out the grade 3 strings, I know what they're doing in class and what their goals are.  One of the pieces for the end-of-year concert is Lucy Locket, a piece they all know from classroom music last year.  It uses the sol-fa so, la and mi.  So to la is a step (they are only aware of major 2nds, or tones, at this point), and so to mi is a skip.  The class strings teacher has them starting with (for violin) 3rd finger on D (G) for so.  With this particular child, we'd played it in her lesson just like in class.  Then we got creative, and played it starting on open A.

Me: Now we're going to go back to starting on 3.  Instead of doing open A for la, though, what do you think we could do instead?
Girl: Ummm... could we use... [face scrunched up like this answer couldn't possibly be correct] 4th finger on the ... D string...?
Me [thrilled she worked this out without any prodding]: Yes!  Now, you know that 1 and 2 are not great friends... [girl nods] and 2 and 3 are best friends [girl nods] - what do you think about 3 and 4?  Will they be best friends or need a gap?
Girl [knowingly]: They'll need a gap.  You can only have one best friend.
Me: Good point.  You know another way we can tell?  If we put out 4th finger right next to our 3rd finger, it would make Lucy Locket sound like this: [I sing the beginning with a very squished up so and la]
Girl [laughing like this is the stupidest thing she's heard all day]: That's terrible!  It sounds like alien sounds!

I am pleased to report that her Lucy Locket sounded right, right from the start.

Five Husbands - A Date

Walking back to class with the girl who thinks I have five husbands (8 years old at the time).  There is quite a breeze, and she is a little obsessed with my hair and me having it out instead of always pulled back.  With my hair out, the breeze causes the windswept look, and I hear the following:

Girl: Ooh, you look like a movie star... You know, you should bring your favourite husband here for a romantic evening...
Me: ...I have a favourite husband?
Girl: Mm, Tim.... Light some candles, cook his favourite meal... You'd be wearing a pretty dress... [I admit - I zoned out a bit for the description of what I was wearing - sorry.  But I came right back when I heard the next bit] ... And he'd have his dark curly hair blowing in the breeze, his shirt partly unbuttoned -
Me: What?!  How old are you???  Does your mother know what you've been watching? 

At least there's a bit of romance in her imaginary version of my life.  Nevermind the whole idea of bringing a husband for a date to school!