Patience, Anyone?

First, check out this parable, and then delve into the piece. 

When we study music, most receive what I think of as a "good education.” Meaning, we learned to play our instruments properly, we leave with working knowledge of rhythm and harmony, and we know who the cats are, so if we need to grab some information off recordings--or books, for that matter--we know where to go. So from this perspective, it’s safe to say that most of us are taught well.

An area where most teachers drop the ball is when they don’t teach students the importance of patience. Of course, students have to also bare some of the responsibility. And I guess it shouldn’t be surprising. The whole idea of weekly lessons goes against the grain of patience. 

And before I continue, I’m reminded of a story one of my grad-school professors once told during class.

Apparently, there was this one guitar teacher in the area, sort of your typical guru-type: eccentric but brilliant. One day he agreed to take on a new student who had been hounding him about lessons. Much to the student’s surprise, the lesson surpassed anything he ever expected. They delved into all sorts of chords, reharmonizations, fingerings, obscure tunes, different rhythmic interpretations, the wholes nine yards. The lesson was easily three hours long, packed with educational gems. So the student, very satisfied and excited, pulled out his wallet to pay for the lesson. And after giving the teacher payment, he pulled out his datebook to see when they could schedule another lesson. As far as he was concerned, this was “the best lesson ever.” 

Their exchange went something like this:

Student: When can we get together again? 

Teacher: (Looking perplexed) Why would we get together again? 

Student: For another lesson. I want to learn more.  

Teacher: There are no more lessons. That was it!

So as you can see, this teacher was ignorant of the concept of meeting every week. His approach: teach them what you know and send them on their way. Plant the seeds of knowledge and leave the harvesting to the student. 

Of course, this is more applicable to advanced level students. But it does speak to my broader point about patience. Sometimes, it’s not about continuing to give students more information. At some point, time must be allowed for the information previously received to be absorbed. And for students to figure out what their relationship is going to be with the knowledge. My theory is that many students seek lessons, not because they lack knowledge, but because they lack patience. 

So before you plop down $150.00 for a 60-minute lesson with your favorite jazz cat, you might want to continue watering what’s already in your garden of knowledge.