I HATE MUSIC!!!!..Saving Your Sanity

One of the things I disliked most about either being new to a building, or having new students move in was that, inevitably, some parent would come up to me and say,"Nice to meet you. Well, you know, Johnny's never liked music very much", or "Susie was never good in music. Hope you can change that". Arrrgh! And this has happened in front of the student! Or, the ultimate challenge in class,"Why do we have to study this stuff? It's stupid!" What to do with the charmer who insists he/she doesn't like music, won't cooperate, and just has a mind made up? Upfront advice: don't scold, yell,or say "You WILL learn this whether you like it or not!" The student is more than likely the type that is just trying to get a rise out of you,or is the type that doesn't want to work. Often, if he says he doesn't like something at home, he probably doesn't have to do it. But, then again, you also get the new student who doesn't like music just because of what has happened in previous schools. Any way you slice it, though, you have someone that you need to gain respect from, even if he's never totally won over to music. The main thing is to assert your control over the situation and not let him (or her) win. If you have a parent who makes comments like the ones I've heard, you would probably want to avoid saying "Oh, I'm sure we'll get along fine",or "I'm sure she'll do fine" (unfortunately,comments I made myself.)You don't know that you and the student will get along or that she'll do fine. You want to make a comment that sort of tells the parent that no matter what, the student will be expected to participate, and at the same time, subtly chiding them for commenting like that(although parents who say things like that to begin with won't take the hint). You can say something to the effect of," We'll be doing a variety of activities this year. What does he/she like?". Pin them down. Then say,"I'm there will be something in music this year that he'll enjoy. If not, I'd to see the old college try!", or something to that effect. Lighten it up, but let them know what's expected. Also let them know up front if there are any concerns, or if you have any, the lines of communication will be open. Make sure the monkey is on their backs and the student's. You can do all you can, but in the end, it is up to them to support you and encourage a positive attitude in their child.

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