What does it take to produce a happy, creative, motivated human being?

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1. Tom Carter says

   September 11, 2010 at 1:16 pm

   Fabulous. I can’t wait to see the movie.

    

   As to whether or not our art form will survive once the Pressure to Achieve is relaxed, I found it interesting to note that the only reference to the performing arts had a student lumping it in with all the other pressures. So many kids today are trying to get their “breadth” requirement satisfied by being in Choir, Band, or Orchestra … so their musical involvement becomes just one more step in their Race to Nowhere. Such a shame! Hopefully once we get our cultural priorities straight, more kids will join musical groups for the joy of it, just as they will joyfully embrace their academics.

    

   Of course, for that to happen, some (most?) teachers will need to shift the way they teach. Content-centered and teacher-centric instruction must be replaced with process-centered and student-centered instruction. And this goes for Choir as well as every other subject. We need to celebrate the human beings in front of us, and do so by involving them with the material and each other … and by seeing them as wonderful individuals we have the honor and pleasure of guiding. If we see their minds as “fires to be ignited rather than vessels to be filled,” we’ll have a much better chance of fostering passionate humans. On the other hand, if we continue to see “perfection” or “high achievement” as the goal — however it’s measured — our society will continue to devolve.

    

   A few things to think about, perhaps, as we confront educators, parents, and kids who are too enmeshed — and too stressed by — the Race to Nowhere to understand what’s at stake…

   • You can get a fabulous education at a public school, and a lousy education at a private school. Public colleges can offer just as many opportunities as private colleges. And a state university can provide a better education than an Ivy League college.
   • The most elite high schools and colleges accept students from both public and private schools.
   • High schools and colleges are looking for students with a sense of confidence, autonomy, empathy/social awareness, and passionate involvement. What You Love to Do and Who You Are is much more important than What Grades You Got, What Classes You Took, How Much You Do, or What School You Attended.
   • Every student has their own path. Love and encourage them, and trust that these wonderful people will do just fine, figuring out their own lives in their own way.
   • Academic pressure applied by teacher or parent creates stress and anxiety — and lessens the likelihood that the young person will enjoy the academic experience. Most of us apply such pressure because of our own fears. Release these fears, and let the students find their own way.
   • Telling is not teaching; the teacher-centric lecture mode engages those wonderful humans in front of us the least.
   • Calling on students, or having them play “Guess the Right Answer,” creates anxiety and stress. It might feel like an established best practice, but it creates an atmosphere of fear and compliance rather than joy and empowerment.
   • Fear not — your kid/student will do just fine, and can find happiness and success regardless of their academic success. And if they struggle, they’re still wonderful.

   True stories:

   1. According to Eric himself, Eric Whitacre’s college grades were so unimpressive that he was having trouble getting into graduate school. His teachers basically said, “I told you so,” but he thought that there must be some school that would value his unique skills and achievements — regardless of his grades. There was one — Juilliard. 
   2. I was giving a voice lesson to a 6th grader, when his mom called down to him, “John, you’re supposed to be having your tennis lesson right now!”  He looked at me, rolled his eyes, and wryly stated, “My mom’s over-scheduled me again.”
   3. I saw a 7th grader last week today who was so stressed by the academic pressure applied by school and parents that he banged his head against the wall when he received an A-. “My parents are going to be so upset,” he bemoaned.

   What have we wrought?

    All my best,

    

   Tom

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2. Gary Weidenaar says

   September 10, 2010 at 9:53 am

   Wonderful, Philip –

    

   Mobile Norway’s CEO gave the Int’l School of Stavanger’s commencement speech in 1996.

    

   Here’s a paraphrase of one of her points – give me 2 potential employees applying for a job with my company with about the same qualifications – but one has a music background – I’ll take that one every time.  Why?  Because being in music groups, they have learned creativity, perseverance, the ability to work with a group, something about empathy, have an acquaintance with emotions, are used to setting and reaching goals, and are grow from appropriate criticism.  In short – everything I’m looking for in a successful employee here . . .

    

   I couldn’t have bribed her to give a more ringing endorsement to the musicians playing for commencement!

   Gary

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