Student interview reflection
The student interviews with my friends was overall very interesting, it taught me a lot about them and how music, although to some of them didn’t play a huge part in their life, had still shaped them as a person in some way, from the littlest changes in their outlook on musicians to coping mechanisms for mental health. I interviewed three of my closest friends, Megan, Olivia and Melise, and asked them a series of questions, which I felt would be a good variety to be able to understanding fully the influence that music and teachers have on students:
- What experience do you have with music?
- Why did you stop?
- Would you have pursued it as a career?
- What did music teach you?
- Do you have any questions for me?
My first interview was with Melise, she is a frequent concert goer varying from Stereophonics to One Direction, when asking what experience, she has with music I was shocked as I never knew she played flute for five years throughout middle school. However due to her performance anxiety and fear of her teacher she stopped playing at the age of 12, I was intrigued to know why she feared her flute teacher. She explained that the teacher would force her into performances she did not want to do and that despite making Melise perform she “did not think she [Melise] was ‘good enough’” to do graded exams, this made me more curious to ask my next question ‘would you have ever pursued music as a career’. Melise’s response was plain and simple “no” based purely on the fact she feared music teachers after her experience, which was upsetting and eye opening for me as it made me realise how much of an impact one teacher can have on a student and how that student will carry the influence you’ve had on them whether it be good or bad for the rest of their life. When asking whether music had taught had Melise anything, I was expecting a negative response due to her experience with lessons etc. but she gave such a wonderful and interesting answer, she explained the breathing exercises that she learnt whilst playing flute, taking in as much air as possible and how to reserve air in the lungs and explained how she uses this now; as someone who suffers from crippling anxiety Melise uses the breathing exercises she learnt whilst playing flute as a form of relaxation if a panic attack should arise. I was surprised and so happy to know that even out of a negative teaching experience Melise was able to take something positive out of it which she now uses daily in something that is vulnerable and hard, which I think is very admirable.
My second interview was with my friend Megan, I loved Megan’s story and her relationship with music -although it pushed her in a different direction, she still uses the influence music had on her in her career today. Megan played trumpet for three years during high school, but gave it up because of her sporting commitments, but for the short time she studied music it influenced her hugely. Megan’s calling was in science, she was destined to be a midwife, and that’s what she did, she studied hard and is now at university studying her dream career. Megan explained to me how music gave her a huge boost in confidence, being able to stand in front of an audience and play has helped her now when doing midwifery, whether its presenting for her clinical skills exam, or even just speaking to the doctors and women that come through the labour ward. She also discussed how music helped her have a sense of community and teamwork, from being in symphony orchestra, to her swimming team and now the midwife’s team on each ward she goes onto explain that without music she wouldn’t have had these huge changes in personality. Overall, I was happy at how much music has had such a positive impact on her, even when she chose a completely different career path, she was still able to bring the things she learnt in music into her dream job.
When doing my next interview, I was excited to see how much music had influenced one of my closest friends, as I was in the public-school system as were my other two interviewees- However, Olivia went to an all-girls private nunnery, so I was intrigued to see how different the style of teaching would be in these types of schools. Olivia first picked up an instrument when she was 7 years old, she played violin for a year and quit because she was too impatient and was told by her teacher, she “wouldn’t be any good”, despite this horrible way of teaching Olivia continued to play instruments; piano for six years, and choir for nine. After she moved to high school Olivia auditioned for the chamber choir and was lucky enough to get in, after nine years of choir which allowed her to travel round the country and experience a true ensemble environment Olivia dropped out of choir, due to the opinion of some people who deemed choir as an ‘uncool’ thing to do. This upset me, but was relatable in a way, as there seems to be an opinion around music, it is not taken as seriously in comparison to sports or other ‘hobbies’ only a handful of my friends understood why I wanted to pursue music as a career, others never thought it would last or ‘didn’t see the point’. Knowing how much Olivia enjoyed choir, I felt like I would upset her when asking ‘would she have ever pursued music as a career?’ fortunately she said no, she expressed her admiration for musicians, their patience and dedication to their instruments but she felt like she couldn’t have kept up with how busy a musicians life it, which I understand. Olivia explained what music had taught her, things such as patience, dedication and time management, which I believe are all the same qualities music has taught me as well as countless others. Olivia ended our interview by asking me “why do you do what you do? What makes you get up and do music?” and this question struck me, I realised how much music is a part of my everyday life, I wake up I listen to music, I go to university I study and listen to music, I practice my instrument every day, and I go to concerts. There really is not a day I’m not surrounded by music, so for as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a musician.
After doing this and my influential teacher project, l've realised the reason my life was pathed out to follow music was because of my teachers- I was heavily influenced by each of them, good or bad I’ve taken something from each and used this to progress as an artist. So I’ve found it very interesting how my friends moved onto do such a wide variety of careers as midwives or psychologists, because of their teachers and how a teacher can spark an interest and help a student blossom into the person they want to be, it made me realise how much of an influence teachers have on a students life.