Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Four CNM level 4000 modules for my final sem (which starts today). Whew. And jobhunting to do. This blog might go back into erratic updating again.
Ody is sick =( I've no idea why yet. Hurhur maybe I can blame an overrich diet of salmon. I'll keep observing him for now.
Anyway, I seem to have somewhat solved the problem of schoolfees after sending some emails to OSA - paying half by CPF and half by giro seems okay to them.
Makes me wonder how all those people I know can manage to jetset around the world so much and aren't lifting a finger to work. It's bizarre.
Other news: I got a new grade 5 student last saturday. What completely stuns me is that he hasn't practised for one month. Which is alright, if not for the fact that he has already
completely forgotten how to play his scales AND exam pieces. And he has only learnt 1.5 exam pieces so far. And managed to forget all of it. AND his mother has already taken the initiative to sign him up for ABRSM July examinations. I have 6 months to sort this out, stat!
Sending 9 students to the exams this year. It's always easy to advance, from Grade 1 to 2, and so on, year by year; but the hardest point is actually gauging when they're ready to leave Beginner level and head to Grade 1. I always feel like I'm taking a tremendous risk. A lot of the children don't really practise, so switching them from a non-stress mode to a sudden death mode takes some understanding of the family situation and the child's own motivation/intelligence.
As I've found, motivation can be surmounted by sheer intelligence. Faith is a curious case in point. She really doesn't like practising (actually she almost NEVER does), but when pressed, she can play extremely well with minimal practice. And naturally, 勤能补拙, if you're not as bright, practising saves! And if all else fails, parents must
force encourage the kid to work at the piano.
Modern parents are really stupid to think that caning and corporal punishment is barbaric. It's the reason we've avoided generations of superbrats. Until now.
Maybe I should write a book after all my teaching is done.
Omnia mutantur
10:51 AM
