Teacher Spotlight Finding Music Inspiration

Teacher Spotlight Finding Music Inspiration Suzy S. Music inspiration can come from anywhere, even if it doesnt seem conventional traveling, or even exposing yourself to new experiences in your own city can give you a fresh attitude toward creating, learning and teaching. Read on as New York City music teacher Jesse S. shares how a trip to Brazil changed his outlook In the winter of 2008, after playing a concert at Juilliard, I was asked by a cellist in the orchestra if I wanted to go to Brazil that upcoming spring break.   Without even thinking about it, I said yes.   I then realized that I should probably ask what we would be doing in Brazil. Annie, the cellist, knew a conductor in Salvador, Brazil who had started a youth orchestral program called Neojiba.     The conductor and founder of Neojiba, Ricardo Castro, had invited Annie and other musicians from Juilliard to fly down to Brazil during spring break and spend a week working with the students in the youth orchestra.   Neojiba is an amazing program provides instruments and musical training free to low-income youth.   The students range in age from early teens to early 20s. That following March, on a freezing blizzardy day, nine of us boarded a plane headed for Brazil.   After being picked up at the airport, where it was over 90 degrees and thick with humidity, we headed to our amazing hotel, which overlooked the Atlantic Ocean.   We then walked to the Castro Alves Theater to hear the orchestra rehearsal and meet our students for the first time.   Before going to Salvador we were told that most of the students spoke English very well, and there should not be a problem regarding language.   This turned out to be false. As a teacher, this week turned out to be the most amazing musical experience of my life.   The language barrier tested my ability to teach without verbal communication.   I grew as both a teacher and a player in ways I didn’t think I was going to.   Despite not knowing much about classical music, these students had Brazilian music coursing through their veins.   I tried to channel that amazing, effervescent rhythm and energy to Mozart and Beethoven, and they in turn showed me how to bring exciting new life and energy to my classical repertoire.   I was experiencing a true cultural exchange. Although I thought I was going to Brazil to teach, I was the one who became the student.   The students in Neojiba taught me so much.  They showed me true hard work.   After a full day of school, some traveled up to two hours to go to rehearsal every day.   This completely blew my mind.   They taught me a kind of music I had previously not been exposed to.   They showed me passion. The following year we returned to Brazil.   The orchestra had completely transformed.   They were playing beautifully and preparing for an upcoming tour.   I felt I was there more as a fan and observer than a teacher, cheering on a group of amazing musicians and people who had welcomed us into their homes and showed us love.   In Portuguese “iluminado” means enlightened, I can’t find any better words to describe my experience. Like this post? Dont miss out on any of our tips, tricks and advice! Sign up for a free email subscription and get updates right to your inbox! You might also like 4 Inspirational TED Talks for Musicians Jumpstarting Your Music Career: 5 Tips Nobody Talks About How to Be a Rock Star: Learn the Rules Before You Break Them Jesse S. teaches flute, piano and music theory lessons to students of all ages in New York, NY. With a Masters degree in Flute Performance from The Juilliard School, Jesse has several years of experience performing and teaching. He joined the TakeLessons team in November 2012. Find out more about Jesse,   or search for a teacher near you! Photo by Mosman Council

Get Your Child Back-to-School Ready

Get Your Child Back-to-School Ready If your child has enjoyed a leisurely summer of trips to the pool, sleeping in, hanging out with friends and operating on a more relaxed pace than during the school year, you both may be dreading the end of summer, when the backpacks come back out and the routine is back in full swing. Dont fret, however. There are a number of things you can do to prepare for a new school year. During the last few weeks leading up to the first day of school, you can help your child make a smooth transition from summer brain to school brain by following these tips: Move back the clocks. Gradually adjust bedtime and wake-up time to be more consistent with a typical school year schedule. If the evening routine has gotten out of whack during the summer, attempt to re-establish some semblance of structurea set dinnertime, bedtime and reading time will help your child begin to get back into a school-year frame of mind. Load up the backpack. Pull out those school supply lists and head out shoppingand bring your child along. Many teachers provide classroom lists before the school year begins to ensure each student arrives on the first day of school equipped with the tools and supplies they will need. Dont forget to restock the desks at home and have your child clean and organize his or her homework space to get it ready for regular use again. Read up. If your child hasnt been reading much this summer, the end of summer break is an ideal time to start. Take your child to the library once a week and re-establish a nightly reading routine, letting him or her choose the books. You might consider pulling out some of last years reading material or assignments (or even books that he or she has already read) as a refresher. Write once a day. Find ways to incorporate writing into your childs daily activities as school draws nearer. It may be difficult to convince a middle schooler to write a series of essays about summer vacation, but get creative. Write letters to the grandparents. Get your child to help you create a summer scrapbook about a special summer vacation or some fun family outings youve had together. Give your child a new journal for the brand new year and encourage him or her to start filling it with the things about which he or she is excited or nervous. Set goals for a brand new year. Have your child think about and write down several goals for this school year. They can be academic objectives or other thingsimproving a grade or trying out for a sports team, for example. Talk about any challenges he or she faced last year and how to approach this year differently if needed. You could even establish some rewards for your child to earn if he or she meets small milestones along the path toward his or her goals. Review last years work. If you have some of it saved, spend a little time each day reviewing math concepts, spelling words and the like from last year. Older students could review chapter summaries from their prior year textbooks to re-familiarize themselves with what they learned in the previous grade. Even 10 minutes a day will help refresh your childs memory on what he or she knows. Just a few small steps will help your child make a successful transition from vacation mode to school mode. With a little effort in the final few weeks of summer, your child will be mentally preparedand ready to make it a great school year by the time the first bell rings.