it’s so good to be on stage the picture
on the TEDx website shows but I’m still
better known as because almost a decade
ago I performed my last concert after a
great career I traveled the world worked
with wonderful people won prizes
lots of successes no frustrations the
stage was my home when I quit playing
deciding to work in education
I found myself learning poems by heart
one every two weeks to be memorized with
the objective to be able to recite it
fluently my poor children had to endure
this madness of a poem reciting mother
at breakfast busy old fool unruly son
why dost thou thus through windows and
through curtains call on us must to thy
emotions lovers seasons run saucy
pedantic wretch it took a while before I
realized what was going on I missed
learning of course I’m I miss playing
music I missed the physical activity
I missed my precious and incredibly
expensive all the Italian viola I missed
the solitude of practicing
I missed the fun in the dressing room
I miss the excitement on stage I even
miss being nervous but most of all I
missed learning during my career there
were many new pieces composed for me
which is quite something because one has
to conquer notes that are unheard find
out how to make them come to life
develop new techniques for crazy demands
make sure to learn a whole new viola
concerto by heart in just a couple of
weeks and don’t underestimate the
challenge of playing baha or recording a
well-known masterpiece musicians
practice that is what they do
it is their tough daily reality even
just to keep up a level and a burden
that maybe it’s also a blessing
musicians practice and study and learn
and they are motivated to choose a life
of uncertainty and relative poverty
when my daughter died the concert I was
supposed to play that same evening was
cancelled but in less than a week I was
back on stage to earn money for my
family and because music is the language
to speak about the pain and the joy of
life on happy occasions in our deepest
sorrow music is their soul at
Conservatoire we have the most motivated
students then how come they miss classes
are underprepared or act hard to get why
are they so passive there is a claim to
blame the teachers in our sector
you know these famous men gods of the
violin who make their students tremble
and with whom nobody dares disagree or
speak up to or even speak to well it is
true that in the world of classical
music hierarchy is all around our
profession is demanding and personal and
hey students have fallen fixed study
programs no choice options nor a say in
assessment situations how could they not
be passive we put them in a system of
uniformity and control how could that
not kill their motivation and what are
we afraid of as soon as we trust our
students in the urge to roll when we
let go of fake control and instead dare
to be with them when we are generous
enough to hope they will become better
than us and different they step forward
as incredibly motivated active learners
let’s trust students and celebrate
learning thus taking the next step to
student-led education a couple of years
ago there was a piece to be studied and
performed by a group of string
instrument students and I asked the
teacher a fantastic violinist to coach
them from within the ensemble he did not
like the idea of performing together
with his students at all whether it was
hierarchy or insecurity I don’t know but
after a while he agreed to play with
them but not first violin the most
important part but fourth violin a
middle voice it was miraculous during
the rehearsals they worked in a
collegial professional way and that
teacher showed them trust by taking the
risk of being onstage together which
inspired astonishing motivation to excel
in the performances without fear some
time ago I organized the project in
which teachers and students work
together on creating leader theatrical
songs to be performed in a large Church
students being in the lead teachers
merely sharing their expertise the
students immediately started to
experiment singers composed
composers played the organ pianists
texts they pushed themselves and each
other they were motivated to the bone
and they performed their daring
compositions with rock-solid conviction
all this originated from a radical
decision we did not describe learning
outcomes for the project nor did we
define which criteria would make a song
good or god forbid sufficient freedom
and trust led to optimal quality
learning and a lot of joy on stage
another example in music editions you
can imagine how frightening it is to
sing your heart out and be judged a
couple of years ago I started inviting
students to sit in when the teachers
discussed and graded their performances
the real teachers who were anxious but
that way I cannot say it sucked
I replied while you might need to come
up with better text
quite quickly we work towards exam
settings in which students have a place
a say towards themselves and then
discussion with the teachers their
sincerity about what they strive for and
struggle with they’re very clear and
helpful comments supportive and sharp
assessment at its best nothing to be
afraid of and it changed the way
students perceive these frightening
additions as well they started to own
the stage as a parent one knows that the
only rule is to really see your child to
extend trust and to play work and live
together to truly be with them that’s
what education can be like as well
[Applause] [Music]
on the TEDx website shows but I’m still
better known as because almost a decade
ago I performed my last concert after a
great career I traveled the world worked
with wonderful people won prizes
lots of successes no frustrations the
stage was my home when I quit playing
deciding to work in education
I found myself learning poems by heart
one every two weeks to be memorized with
the objective to be able to recite it
fluently my poor children had to endure
this madness of a poem reciting mother
at breakfast busy old fool unruly son
why dost thou thus through windows and
through curtains call on us must to thy
emotions lovers seasons run saucy
pedantic wretch it took a while before I
realized what was going on I missed
learning of course I’m I miss playing
music I missed the physical activity
I missed my precious and incredibly
expensive all the Italian viola I missed
the solitude of practicing
I missed the fun in the dressing room
I miss the excitement on stage I even
miss being nervous but most of all I
missed learning during my career there
were many new pieces composed for me
which is quite something because one has
to conquer notes that are unheard find
out how to make them come to life
develop new techniques for crazy demands
make sure to learn a whole new viola
concerto by heart in just a couple of
weeks and don’t underestimate the
challenge of playing baha or recording a
well-known masterpiece musicians
practice that is what they do
it is their tough daily reality even
just to keep up a level and a burden
that maybe it’s also a blessing
musicians practice and study and learn
and they are motivated to choose a life
of uncertainty and relative poverty
when my daughter died the concert I was
supposed to play that same evening was
cancelled but in less than a week I was
back on stage to earn money for my
family and because music is the language
to speak about the pain and the joy of
life on happy occasions in our deepest
sorrow music is their soul at
Conservatoire we have the most motivated
students then how come they miss classes
are underprepared or act hard to get why
are they so passive there is a claim to
blame the teachers in our sector
you know these famous men gods of the
violin who make their students tremble
and with whom nobody dares disagree or
speak up to or even speak to well it is
true that in the world of classical
music hierarchy is all around our
profession is demanding and personal and
hey students have fallen fixed study
programs no choice options nor a say in
assessment situations how could they not
be passive we put them in a system of
uniformity and control how could that
not kill their motivation and what are
we afraid of as soon as we trust our
students in the urge to roll when we
let go of fake control and instead dare
to be with them when we are generous
enough to hope they will become better
than us and different they step forward
as incredibly motivated active learners
let’s trust students and celebrate
learning thus taking the next step to
student-led education a couple of years
ago there was a piece to be studied and
performed by a group of string
instrument students and I asked the
teacher a fantastic violinist to coach
them from within the ensemble he did not
like the idea of performing together
with his students at all whether it was
hierarchy or insecurity I don’t know but
after a while he agreed to play with
them but not first violin the most
important part but fourth violin a
middle voice it was miraculous during
the rehearsals they worked in a
collegial professional way and that
teacher showed them trust by taking the
risk of being onstage together which
inspired astonishing motivation to excel
in the performances without fear some
time ago I organized the project in
which teachers and students work
together on creating leader theatrical
songs to be performed in a large Church
students being in the lead teachers
merely sharing their expertise the
students immediately started to
experiment singers composed
composers played the organ pianists
texts they pushed themselves and each
other they were motivated to the bone
and they performed their daring
compositions with rock-solid conviction
all this originated from a radical
decision we did not describe learning
outcomes for the project nor did we
define which criteria would make a song
good or god forbid sufficient freedom
and trust led to optimal quality
learning and a lot of joy on stage
another example in music editions you
can imagine how frightening it is to
sing your heart out and be judged a
couple of years ago I started inviting
students to sit in when the teachers
discussed and graded their performances
the real teachers who were anxious but
that way I cannot say it sucked
I replied while you might need to come
up with better text
quite quickly we work towards exam
settings in which students have a place
a say towards themselves and then
discussion with the teachers their
sincerity about what they strive for and
struggle with they’re very clear and
helpful comments supportive and sharp
assessment at its best nothing to be
afraid of and it changed the way
students perceive these frightening
additions as well they started to own
the stage as a parent one knows that the
only rule is to really see your child to
extend trust and to play work and live
together to truly be with them that’s
what education can be like as well
[Applause] [Music]
Please follow and like us: