Learned By Heart

Thomas McCauley | May 2009


    In my 20 years as a high school and university teacher I have worked with all kinds of students. I am certain that I learned much more from my students than they have learned from me. If you pay attention, life is the greatest teacher of all, providing lessons that have greatly affected my life and work.

Lesson #1 ­– Love is really all there is.
    Every other emotion and response is fear that can manifest itself as anger, rage, insecurity, hate, bigotry, war, and pettiness. Every soul has value and every student is loveable. Mallory Thompson of Northwestern once told me, “Your students don’t have to love you, but you must love them.” Even though we encounter some angry and even hostile students, there are loveable human beings inside. This concept continues to be a struggle for me, but I constantly try to look for the good in all students. To share the full gift and beauty of music with them, I need to approach students each day with a sincere intent and an open heart.
    I have also learned that while not every student is good at everything, most are good at something. I have learned to use their strengths to help them improve their weaknesses. Love sometimes means being disliked in the  short term to do what’s best for the student. It sometimes means showing strength and tenacity. Teaching at its core is the giving of one’s self.

Lesson #2 – Follow the bank account model for student relationships.
    Another great teacher, Allan McMurray of the University of Colorado, first introduced me to this way of looking at relationships with students. The bank account approach treats every positive comment or compliment as a deposit and every negative one as a withdrawal. The goal is to keep the account in the black with students.
    I try to save up because inevitably I will make mistakes in front of groups and have to call upon the goodwill banked over time. Everybody loves an honest compliment. A deposit can be as small as a quick nod or smile or an inquiry about another class. The size of the deposit matters less than the frequency and consistency.

Lesson #3 ­– Look inward for answers.
    When a problem occurs in my classes, I need to look inward for the possible cause and solution to the problem. This is true whether the problem is musical or not. I ask myself how I would react to the similar situation and how I might have caused the problem to occur. I also think about how to remedy the situation.
    It is a hard lesson to learn that when a  group behaves and plays well, it is mostly because of you. When things go awry the director is also usually to blame. Certainly administrators, parents, and testing schedules can all add headaches, but only the director stands in front of the group before every rehearsal. Armed with the infinite power of music, you can turn a difficult situation into a powerful lesson for students. Conductor Larry Rachleff once told me, “If you want to teach better students, make the students you have better.”

Lesson #4 – Keep practicing and everything else with take care of itself.
    I learned this from my first college trumpet teacher, Richard Kerber. In the first couple of years in college, I was able to make money playing every night but worried what the future would bring. This comment helped to refocus my efforts on becoming the best musician possible.
    Since that time my goal has never been to win awards, attain recognition, or make a great deal of money. It has been to become a better musician and teacher every day and to make music at the highest level possible with as many people as I can. Everything else has taken care of itself.
    The importance of ongoing growth in life should not be overlooked. Becoming a father had nothing directly to do with my work, but it has made me a better musician. I often watch a video I own of Bruno Walter talking about how difficult it would be to conduct Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony without ever  having seen a meadow or a brook. This sentiment holds a great deal of truth. As teachers, we are always setting expectations to help students improve but sometimes forget that we also have to take risks to become better musicians.
    Occasionally, the journey has obstacles and difficult moments. I remember how lucky I am to do something each day that I love. My mother toiled for years at barely tolerable jobs so her four children could someday have the opportunity to do something better. I never take that sacrifice for granted.