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How was music taught in your school?
 

offline Ceri JC from Jefferson City (United States) on 2006-04-25 05:30 [#01886589]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Show recordbag



It was absolutely atrocious at ours. Teacher was a
small-minded bigot. Classical was the only style of music he
recognised, but grudgingly taught taught jazz and blues as a
concession to musical diversity. The nearest we came to
music tech was a using Yamaha Portasounds to compose
neo-classical rubbish. Never saw a computer apart from a HD
recording box in the back room that no one was allowed to
touch.

He quite openly slated pop, dance and electronic music as
"fads" and said that they were an irrelevance because they
wouldn't be around in 100 years time and also that any
visual element of a live performance detracted from the
music and hence was wrong.

As a result, I didn't do music as a subject past a stage
where we absolutely had to, not even at GCSE level, in spite
of singing in a choir/playing violin and generally being
into music. I'd even go so far as to say he was partly
responsible for a 3 year hiatus in me doing tracks, he
managed to take the fun out of music that much. I recognise
that music is one of those subjects, like art, that is often
seen as a bit of a cop out/waste of time (despite research
showing after maths and english, it's one of the most
essential) and that by rigidly clinging to classicalism, it
could at least be taken more seriously by the other
teachers.

I was disappointed with a lot of subjects in school,
however, I find it exceeding difficult to forgive the way
that one of my favourite things was taught so badly that it
temporarily ruined my enjoyment of it. I go green with envy
when I go to schools/colleges/universites and see their
music rooms and they're equipped with gear and s/w I'd love
in my home studio and teachers who even if at worst, they
dislike electronic music personally, are at least open
minded about it and are prepared to mark electronic works
fairly.

Did anyone else have a "fun" subject (drama, art,
photography, etc.) ruined by a teacher like this?


 

offline i_x_ten from arsemuncher on 2006-04-25 05:41 [#01886591]
Points: 10031 Status: Regular



well our music lessons were a bit odd. we had a great music
teacher for the first few years, but a bit of an oddball. he
was in the guiness book of records for playing the organ for
like 80 hours with no repeats.... but then he had a
breakdown. resigned in our lesson, leaving a bunch of 16
year old gcse students looking a bit vexed. then we got a
replacement who was a nice guy, but a bit of a weiner and a
pusher-over. i remeber walking into his year 8 class and the
poor sod was nearly in tears... the state of the music
facilities declined quite rapidly, and most of the gcse set
lost interest. only 3 people out of 25 passed ( i got a D!)
was a bit of a shame really. the old teacher was ace and
really open minded about music. the only thing i can't
forgive him for is making the class watch spaceballs.


 

offline tridenti from Milano (Italy) on 2006-04-25 05:46 [#01886593]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker



It sucked.

My teacher was only able to play flute, and he taught us how
use it in better ways. I personally wasn't into electronic
music yet, but as you said Ceri, I still can remember that
not only my music teacher, but all teachers disliked all
kinds of electronic music.


 

offline uzim on 2006-04-25 05:47 [#01886594]
Points: 17716 Status: Lurker



when i was in junior school i hated the teacher. he was
scaring me. and i was very bad at flute (which was the only
instrument we'd be taught)...
before that, in elementary school, it was pretty much the
same - the teacher insisted on making us singing every day.
i was very, very shy and used to either sing very quietly,
or just move my lips silently. i hated everything and
everyone, from the other pupils to the teachers, in
elementary school anyway.


 

offline kwarkie69 from ANTVERPIA (Belgium) on 2006-04-25 05:54 [#01886598]
Points: 62 Status: Lurker



in school they constantly tried to undermine my creativity
by telling me how i should see the world and what my role
should be, but they failed.........hehehe

i had a music-teacher who teached us flute (the wooden one)
but he always was pulling my ears so hard, that i couldn't
hear what i was playing. after a few months my ear (the
below part) start to tear and puss was coming out........

long live school


 

offline kwarkie69 from ANTVERPIA (Belgium) on 2006-04-25 05:55 [#01886599]
Points: 62 Status: Lurker



flute playing is for pussies


 

offline zero-cool on 2006-04-25 05:55 [#01886600]
Points: 2720 Status: Lurker



well i do art at the moment and the teacher is this cunt
whore bitch, who always picks on us when we are just
talking, and shes hell controling, trying to tell me what i
have to put in my work, and i just ignore her, so i feel
your pain.
theres also a music department in which is quite cool,
although i rarely get to see the music room place, as the
head of the music department is a fucking cunt who won't let
anyone not involved in music come into the room, but
sometimes some others i know go up there when hes away and
they play the guitar and i'll just watch and listen.

but yeah teachers are stuben cunts, i know of one or two
insightfull teachers, thats about all.


 

offline tridenti from Milano (Italy) on 2006-04-25 05:57 [#01886601]
Points: 14653 Status: Lurker



Yeah, in elementary school we used to sing as well, while my
mates playing some "instrument" like xylophones and other
kind of rubbish instruments. I was like uzim, very shy,
especially when my parents came to see me playing in my
school. I should also have some recordings taken by my
father somwhere, when I sang at school, better if I don't
find them because I could be able to destroy them or simply
having fun by watching them maybe with my friends.


 

offline Ceri JC from Jefferson City (United States) on 2006-04-25 06:13 [#01886607]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Followup to zero-cool: #01886600 | Show recordbag



Ah yes. Our art teacher who objected us to talking whilst
drawing (so it in no way impaired our work) was a fucker
too.

I notice a few people are talking about flutes, do you mean
recorders or proper flutes.


 

offline unabomber from Palma de Mallorca (Spain) on 2006-04-25 06:14 [#01886608]
Points: 3756 Status: Regular



flutes... also here.... flutes here, there and
everywhere...

I FUCKIN' HATE FLUTES!!!!

BTW: Does Peter plays the flute?


 

offline tolstoyed from the ocean on 2006-04-25 06:21 [#01886611]
Points: 50073 Status: Moderator



when i was in school electricity wasn't discovered yet, so
luckly no one had anything bad to say about electronic
music. we had this cute teacher, who probably didn't have a
clue about music, but that wasn't really the point. it'd be
nice to have someone who knows about music to teach us,
sure, but the chance to find a person like that was
1:1000000.


 

offline Taffmonster from dog_belch (Japan) on 2006-04-25 06:26 [#01886615]
Points: 6196 Status: Lurker



Music at my secondary school was amazing. If it wasn't for
my music teacher i wouldn't be so musically inclined. Every
lunch time we would all go hang out in the music rooms and
Paddy (my music teacher) would listen to some new album we'd
bought or he'd teach some song he'd learnt. Instead of the
usual songs in classes he would teach us to play stuff like
the cure.

Once school summer when i was 16 he took about 30 of us out
to his house in irleand and we toured round the local area
playing irish folk in pubs and busking on the street.

The man was a pure legend but really unappreciated in the
school, he was always in trouble because he would get me out
of french lessons to work on songs for concerts and stuff,
i even got to sit in on a level music classes when i was
still only in year 10.

I have actually been trying to track him down, he left my
school and moved away and i'd not seen him since. #

So yeah music was brilliant at my school it was taught with
an actual love for music and not by some failed musician who
wanted to do anything other than share a love of music.


 

offline S M Pennyworth from East Timor on 2006-04-25 06:45 [#01886623]
Points: 2196 Status: Lurker



my music teacher turned out to be a paedo, so he got himself
arrested.
he was well creepy.


 

offline Torture Garden from Feelin' 2Pacish on 2006-04-25 06:52 [#01886624]
Points: 974 Status: Lurker



It's great studying music, I never did music gcse or a
level. I took private lessons to get me upto the level i'm
at and it's been a pleasure. All my teachers have been open
minded.
I write music on manuscript for other musicians and if
anything it's the larger electronic music dpt. who're
looking at us; the composers and thinking we're old hat or
some shit, but fuck them.


 

offline QRDL from Poland on 2006-04-25 06:58 [#01886625]
Points: 2838 Status: Lurker



in elementary, I had two teachers, both were focused on
flute. The first one was 70 years old or something and had a
heart attack in the teachers room while trying to parody
modern dance. His substitute had a hole in his forehead 2 cm
deep. Absolutely nothing could distract us from watching the
hole. I remember playing the flute and that hole.
I high shool we just prepared papers about lives of
classical composers. The teacher was a lazy old man, but he
was cool nonetheless.


 

offline Ceri JC from Jefferson City (United States) on 2006-04-25 07:08 [#01886626]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Followup to Taffmonster: #01886615 | Show recordbag



Taff, did you go to school in/around Barry? If so, email me
where and the teacher's name and I may be able to help.

You should get in touch if you can, most teachers love
meeting up with old pupils who appreciate them.


 

offline giginger from Milky Beans (United Kingdom) on 2006-04-25 07:19 [#01886627]
Points: 26326 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



Very badly by a teacher who had favourites and didn't give
two shits about anyone else. Would do wonderful things such
as tell you your conducting was fine and that you didn't
need anymore practice but then write on your official
A-Level exam thing that you could've done with more practice
and had sloppy conduct of the band. WHAT A GREAT TEACHER!


 

offline Taffmonster from dog_belch (Japan) on 2006-04-25 07:21 [#01886628]
Points: 6196 Status: Lurker | Followup to Ceri JC: #01886626



nah mate i went to secondary school in Kent (i moved around
alot).
His names Richard Paddy, I've been desperate to get hold of
him last i heard he was in Devon and he'd sold his house in
ireland but i can't seem to find him anywhere.


 

offline pigster from melbs on 2006-04-25 07:22 [#01886629]
Points: 4480 Status: Lurker



hmm, last year in music, the teacher was alright..
a little too caught up in rock music and guitar 'techniques'
and all that, but he Was open minded which was good.
me n a friend (daggerhappy) got an A+ for this!
hahaha. only people in the class to get an A+ too.



 

offline plaidzebra from so long, xlt on 2006-04-25 07:25 [#01886630]
Points: 5678 Status: Lurker



we all held hands and sang "michael row the boat ashore."

good times.


 

offline Taffmonster from dog_belch (Japan) on 2006-04-25 07:28 [#01886631]
Points: 6196 Status: Lurker | Followup to Taffmonster: #01886628



i found a dead website saying he was head of music at South
Molton Community College in devon, now if only the site
wasnt't dead.


 

offline Ceri JC from Jefferson City (United States) on 2006-04-25 07:28 [#01886632]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Followup to pigster: #01886629 | Show recordbag



No disrespect, but I think it's time for me to enrol in an A
level nightclass and just ace it. :D

Were the guitar and drums pre-recorded by yourselves and
then fxed afterwards?


 

offline Dannn_ from United Kingdom on 2006-04-25 07:31 [#01886633]
Points: 7877 Status: Lurker



Primary school was just singing, and recorder which I opted
out of. Secondary school was okay, very small amounts of
theory and analysis, for the most part sharing a keyboard
between 2-3 people and writing songs. I never really
associated music in school with my personal interest.


 

offline pigster from melbs on 2006-04-25 07:42 [#01886635]
Points: 4480 Status: Lurker | Followup to Ceri JC: #01886632



haha, no. the project was to use sony acid thingo to make a
song. and we put that together like in one period using the
samples we found. : )


 

offline stilaktive from a place on 2006-04-25 07:43 [#01886636]
Points: 3162 Status: Lurker



we used anything. the teachers let me install and teach ppl
about vst's and shiz


 

offline Ceri JC from Jefferson City (United States) on 2006-04-25 07:44 [#01886637]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Followup to Dannn_: #01886633 | Show recordbag



"I never really associated music in school with my personal
interest. " Yes, that's exactly how I felt about it. It's
only now, in retrospect that I realise I really saw
no connection between music lessons and what I did
with mates with a cracked copy of rebirth and acid. It's
almost like the difference between cycling and English;
there is no shared element at all.


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2006-04-25 07:45 [#01886639]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



I feel you ceri, if I didn't move my sophmore year of
highschool, I might not be doing music right now, at least
not studying it. In 9th grade, I was in a percussion class,
and I was in the marching band, on snare drum. The teacher
was a complete dick, and totally took the fun out of
everything. I decided not to take any more music classes and
to drop out of the marching band before the year was done.

But luckily, I moved, and met the greatest music teacher
ever. Since it was a small international school, it was a
lot more casual. Basically if you could hold an instrument,
you're in the band (and it was more like a band, not an
ensemble... we had a drum set, bass, guitars, keyboards, and
anything else someone played... horns, woodwinds...
anything, depending on who was taking the class). As a
result, my teacher would do all the arrangements for our
unique instrumentations. He was so much fun, and class was
really like you were getting together with friends to jam. I
took it my junior and senior year, playing electric bass. I
didn't know how to play at all, and I went to him, and said
"hey, I want to play bass, can I try?" And he said sure! and
made me tabs to get started, and then in my own time, I
taught myself how to read music, and then he'd give me
scores with both tab and notation, to transition. We had
another bass player my junior year, so i'd sit in the back
and get pointers from him, and play easier parts.

My sophmore year I took a composition class (classical) as I
was getting into writting electronic music, I figured some
lessons wouldn't hurt. I actually didn't remember much of
what I learned in the class, at the time I was more
interested in electronic stuff, but it was cool, cause my
teacher also produced. He make music for italian films and
other things. He was really hip. Had a juno at our school
(broken sadly... but the fact he had one was cool) So he
would tell me about cool new gear, and stuff to read, and
basically just inspired me a lot. He was the one that
pointed me to Berk


 

offline pigster from melbs on 2006-04-25 07:46 [#01886640]
Points: 4480 Status: Lurker



was that even sposed to for me or giginger? oh well...

and i wish i could show and teach people about vst's shiz.
we were gonna do a performance infront of the class doing a
dj set using tape cassettes and two tape players. we were
like half way organising it and ran out of time : (


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2006-04-25 07:48 [#01886641]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



to Berklee. So I owe a lot of it to him. I still see him now
and again. Right now he and a friend are opening up a music
school in south america, which lets local people from poor
communities study music for free. He really loves music, and
cares about helping people and their development. I was
really lucky to have him as my teacher.... :)


 

offline Drunken Mastah from OPPERKLASSESVIN!!! (Norway) on 2006-04-25 07:51 [#01886642]
Points: 35867 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



I haven't had music since.. the grade I was in when I was 14
(you may all calculate what that would equate to in your
school system, but here it's one step up from the child
school thinige).

all musical education was basic recorder/guitar and classic
rock combos.


 

offline pigster from melbs on 2006-04-25 07:52 [#01886644]
Points: 4480 Status: Lurker | Followup to Zeus: #01886641



wow, sounds like a really cool guy.
er.. yeah, good on him!


 

offline oyvinto on 2006-04-25 07:53 [#01886646]
Points: 8197 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



we learnt about beethoven, bach, sachmo, beatles and sex
pistols. and we "learnt" to play guitar


 

offline Ceri JC from Jefferson City (United States) on 2006-04-25 07:53 [#01886647]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Followup to Zeus: #01886641 | Show recordbag



Sounds awesome. The music department at my university is
pretty good for contemporary things (Altai from the board
studies there and one of the ISB guys is a lecturer). If I
ever went back full time (IE to do a doctorate) I'd take a
few of the free music modules on the side.


 

offline Anus_Presley on 2006-04-25 07:55 [#01886650]
Points: 23472 Status: Lurker



we just got shouted at and made to wrrite instead of play
the fun instrruments, forr ourr naughtiness.


 

offline Anus_Presley on 2006-04-25 07:56 [#01886652]
Points: 23472 Status: Lurker



i did music as GCSE and got an E


 

offline oyvinto on 2006-04-25 07:57 [#01886655]
Points: 8197 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



since i was borned retarded i had to play the drums instead
of the guitar, i recall. just because they couldn't bother
switching the strings to goofy.


 

offline zero-cool on 2006-04-25 08:19 [#01886669]
Points: 2720 Status: Lurker



every cunt in my school was a snob cunt about music, bad
mouthing kraftwerk the wankers, always jerking off to shitty
music like....shit, like this group of guys always stuck to
rock based stuff like nirvanna, now don't get me wrong but
nirvana are cool, and the cure etc...

its just that all of them could not understand electronic
music, i mean i did not push it over to them, i merely tried
to explain to them the concept behind it, but they just
passed it off, wankers.

at least there was one cunt who was into radiohead,
ideotechque, and he knew i liked aphex :)


 

offline QRDL from Poland on 2006-04-25 08:44 [#01886686]
Points: 2838 Status: Lurker | Followup to zero-cool: #01886669



nirvana >> kraftwerk


 

offline earthleakage from tell the world you're winning on 2006-04-25 08:46 [#01886689]
Points: 27795 Status: Regular



it was great! when i was 14 we got 2 new teachers together
with the old geezer, all of them had a hard job as this we
were going to be the 1st year doing the new gcse and they
had no guidelines whatsoever. they were all friendly,
encouraging, joking, especially with the ones who geniunly
took an interest. and i had access to 2 sh-101s, a juno, 2
drum machines, and any instruments you can dream of. sounds
like i was quite lucky really.


 

offline oyvinto on 2006-04-25 08:59 [#01886696]
Points: 8197 Status: Lurker | Followup to QRDL: #01886686 | Show recordbag



wrong!


 

offline Ceri JC from Jefferson City (United States) on 2006-04-25 09:03 [#01886698]
Points: 23533 Status: Moderator | Followup to QRDL: #01886686 | Show recordbag



*Says in speak and spell voice*, "That's incorrect..."


 

offline Ezkerraldean from the lowest common denominator (United Kingdom) on 2006-04-25 09:15 [#01886701]
Points: 5733 Status: Addict



it was shite!
not that the teacher was bad, but the subject was so narrow
- classical and nothing else. the teacher wanted to teach us
other stuff. i never did it into GCSE, mainly because i
didnt think i could get a job out of it.
at the time i wasnt really into much music at all, and so i
suprised everyone when i got 100% in the theory exam - and
beat the school super-swot. so chuffed i was.


 

offline Anus_Presley on 2006-04-25 09:17 [#01886702]
Points: 23472 Status: Lurker



they rreally have dumbed the GCSEs down you know, it's
stupid.


 

offline ToXikFB on 2006-04-25 09:28 [#01886720]
Points: 4414 Status: Lurker



i was taught chior in primary school and how to play the tin
whistle, at the time i wasen't interested in music at all
really. allways playing off note on purpose, in secondary
school currently music is not even on the curriculum...


 

offline glasseater from Switzerland on 2006-04-25 09:30 [#01886725]
Points: 531 Status: Regular



one time we sang "bohemian rapsody" kicked ass


 

offline scup_bucket from bloated exploding piss pockets on 2006-04-25 09:38 [#01886730]
Points: 4540 Status: Regular



what is GCSE?

in elementary school I had a hippy music teacher that
absolutely loved me. Currently I'm taking an electronic
music course, but it's mostly about indeterminacy and making
processes that generate music, which is neat.


 

offline scup_bucket from bloated exploding piss pockets on 2006-04-25 09:40 [#01886733]
Points: 4540 Status: Regular | Followup to scup_bucket: #01886730



except that the students in my class are all retarded and
obnoxious Garage Band fanatics that just want to make
techno, so my teacher is often less-than-pleasant.


 

offline redrum from the allman brothers band (Ireland) on 2006-04-25 09:59 [#01886749]
Points: 12878 Status: Addict



it was rather good.. but not from an academic point of view
(we'd not do much work towards scoring high in the exam,
instead we'd just sit around and analyse music, neglecting
all the other parts of the course)

i brought in zappa's hot rats and aphex's drukqs one day and
he couldn't get enough of drukqs. i wanted to put on some
zappa but he wouldn't let me because he said he knew "what
that'll sound like, but this stuff is genuinely unique and
interesting".

he listened to mt st michel at least twice and aussosis and
kesson dalef about 10 times each. loved it.

so yeah, it was nice and layed-back.


 

offline scup_bucket from bloated exploding piss pockets on 2006-04-25 11:10 [#01886812]
Points: 4540 Status: Regular | Followup to redrum: #01886749



that's neat. I've always tried to share stuff like drukqs,
and recently untilted, with people, but I always get "you're
weird" looks.


 

offline giginger from Milky Beans (United Kingdom) on 2006-04-25 11:30 [#01886826]
Points: 26326 Status: Lurker | Show recordbag



I only talked about Upper School.

Middle School was the fucking nuts. Really enthusiastic
teachers in regards to music. It was never too much trouble
to them to help you out and show you where you went wrong
etc and they encouraged to "experiment" or at least try
instruments you wouldn't normally pick up. One of the
teachers could play the Harp too and that was magical to
watch.

In Lower School I had an excellent music teacher too. Sadly
I only had her for a year though as she had a breakdown of
some sorts. Shame.

My Piano teacher was fantastic too. He really liked you to
bring in a piece of music you'd heard and liked and he'd
either work out a piano version on the spot or find you
something quite similar to play. He really was a great
teacher. One of the best Pianists I've ever seen too. Just
sat down with a brand new piece and played it night on
perfect first time. Then he'd say "That needs some work,
I'll have a go at that in the week". He'd play it next week
and it was sublime. Really digged Avril 14th too. Worked
that one out on the spot too. Bastard.
He got me interested in so many different styles of piano
playing. It's a shame he doesn't teach anymore :(
Also, it would be a 2 hour drive to have lessons because
I've moved house.


 


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