At 11:15 AM 06/23/02, Christopher BJ Smith wrote: >I get that from my students a lot - "But it's what I WANT!" to which >my response usually is, "Then DON'T want it, because it's bad! Want >something GOOD instead." That usually gets a laugh out of them, >because I'm not as tough as that answer makes me sound. But it gets >them thinking along other lines...
Perhaps my anti-academic bias is showing, but I thoroughly disagree with that. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing a teacher is good for is helping the students learn how to accomplish what they want, not to tell them that what they want is good or bad. Maybe someone really does want to write music that sounds "bad" to you. If so, more power to him. If the audience agrees with you and doesn't like it either, then that's something he'll have to face; maybe it changes his mind, or maybe it doesn't. That said, I do think there's a certain amount of universality in music aesthetic. Some things really do sound bad to everyone, but it's not up to you to decide which things those are. If what your student wants to do truly is universally bad, then it will sound bad to him too, once he hears it. If he hears it and still likes it, then maybe he just has a different vision. I guess it all comes down to why the student is in the class in the first place. The only reason that makes sense to me is if he has something to say and seeks help in knowing how to say it. If someone comes in with the attitude of "I have no ideas, but I want to be a composer anyway, so tell me what to do", then I have to admit, I just don't understand that. If I were in your class, and you made a remark like the one you quoted above, that would make me walk out right then and there -- but then, I really doubt I'd be in your class in the first place. mdl _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
