I spend a good chunk of my days thinking about each student’s progress and trajectory in their drum journey. Through that thought process, I’ll plan out each student’s lesson agenda for the day. To be honest, I do get concerned for some students occasionally. The onus and responsibility is on me to help each student achieve their drumming and music goals; if a student has his or her progress stalled, it’s on me, not them.
Every student is different, and each one has a unique way of learning. That’s the challenge that every teacher has to overcome I guess. Knowing your student and more importantly, never giving up on them. I hate to admit it, but there are times when I observe my students’ progress and even their heart in the lesson, I can’t help but feel discouraged and frustrated. I just have to tell myself that no one is always at their top form; there are bad and unmotivated days, and there are good days. We (the student and teacher) would both have to just show up, wait out the dry spells and push on through. Eventually, more often than not, the student would get a breakthrough, we just don’t know when it would be, and the skill and talent that they unlock usually just comes suddenly, like switching on a lightbulb.
I’ve recently hit my 3 year mark in this drum education business, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Schedule is mostly full, and students have been progressing steadily, be it learning songs for church, or going for drumkit exams. Here’s to reminding myself, and possibly any teachers reading this, to not give up on your students, progress is usually never a straight line.
~Teacher Joel~
~Private Drum Teacher from Pasir Ris, Elias Road, Singapore~
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