I have a theory that applies to life… and it certainly applies to piano teaching too. I thought that if I made it into a cool little quote everyone would pin it like mad and my name might become synonymous with Socrates and Confucius 🙂 So here we go:
My Theory As It Applies To Stinging Nettle Lasagna
If you haven’t already guessed… I hate being bored! So when Andrea and I walked past an ultra-hippy, vegan restaurant on Friday night I thought… let’s do this thing! After all, shocking my system with some nuts and tofu as opposed to hitting up the “usual” seemed like a lot more fun.
And so, 30 minutes after walking through the door, I was tearing into a piece of stinging nettle lasagna with nary a hint of ricotta, pasta, or meat to be found. And you know what?… it was great!
I can’t believe those words are coming out of my mouth, but it was, it was great. As was the zany atmosphere and the conversation of our “way too close” dinner neighbours. It was the best dining experience Andrea and I have had in years. Because I did not care if the restaurant was bad… I only cared if it was boring.
Had it been bad (which it was not) I still would have had the enjoyable satisfaction of sharing a bizarre gastronomic adventure with Andrea. And I still would have enjoyed the game of “Guess the State of Their Relationship” that Andrea I played with our “too close neighbors” as the unknowing contestants.
Had it been bad I would also have learned that veganism isn’t in my future. To be honest, it’s really not in my future… I’ll never be able to give up my beloved maui ribs 🙂
My Theory As It Applies To Piano Teaching
The opposite of a good piano lesson is not a bad piano lesson, but a boring piano lesson. Boring piano lessons do not inspire change… but a piano lesson that is a complete disaster does!
A horrific piano lesson is the best learning experience you can hope for. You’ll be so desperate to prevent it from happening again that you will critically analyze every decision you made and strategy you tried. And you will come back next week a better teacher.
So, don’t be afraid of teaching a bad piano lesson. Don’t be afraid to try a teaching strategy, a piano piece, or a resource that is out-of-the-box. Don’t be afraid of things going all bad. Because in the worst case scenario, you have a great story and a learning experience. In the best case scenario you’ll discover a piano teaching resource, strategy, or technique that makes your piano studio the most popular in town!
Cathy says
Okay, that does it. You and Andrea HAVE to be two of the most interesting people around. Love the post. Thanks, Trevor!
Andrea says
Hi Cathy – don’t know about the most interesting… but definitely two people who HATE to be bored! I’m sure our lives would drive most other people crazy.. but “status quo” doesn’t jive in our house! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Kathy G says
Haha! Good story. (And I was tickled to hear that you two play the people-watching/guessing game — it’s a favorite pastime of ours too.)
One of the things I appreciate most about you and Andrea is the way you use everyday experiences like this as a take-off point for observations and creative new ideas about teaching. You are constantly looking at yourselves and asking questions based on what you see. We all need to do that!
And oddly, this post has challenged me to do something highly dangerous this week — something I’ve been too chicken to do before, namely, video my teaching and face the ‘music’ (what I’m really doing, as opposed to what I think I’m doing). Yikes.
Far easier for me to eat nettle lasagna (I am the furthest thing from a vegan and I don’t do well with grains). Although a good friend of mine in Alaska made pesto from nettles (she called it ‘nesto’) and said it was delicious. So you never know……
Andrea says
Go for it Kathy! I tape recorded myself once and gained some really valuable insights (like phrases I repeat WAAAY to often). It’s hard to do, but worth it! We just had hemp seed pesto sauce the other night.. will have to try it with nettles as they grow like crazy by us! Cheers 🙂
Alice says
Stinging nettle soup—yes. Stinging nettle lasagna?!?!? I don’t get the concept. Will have to check with my daughter the wildcrafter. Agree with Cathy above–you guys are never boring.
Andrea says
Hi Alice! If you’re so inclined the recipe for Stinging Nettle Lasagna is in this raw food cookbook. I can honestly say it was to die for… and doesn’t sting a bit! http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/blissful-raw-food-recipes-from/9780987675705-item.html