A Thorny Topic

I'm a teacher.

I have been teaching for almost 13 years.

In all of that time, there is one subject which I

have managed to avoid...

Music...

...and this is why -

I don't understand this! It is like another language - a language which I never learned. It is full of secret symbols and encrypted messages. I recognise some of the symbols.... I even know some musical terms. I know that there is a line of notes in the top picture - but those notes with the tails... and those ones where they join up at the top... I'm lost.

If I don't understand it, I can't teach it.

So, I was surprised when I was asked to replace our music teacher while she was away on holidays. This teacher is lovely. She's energetic and enthusiastic and our students are lucky to have her as their teacher. She is very efficient and highly organised, and for this, I am very grateful. It was her efficiency which made her type up a few sheets of paper for me. These sheets of paper were my lifeline and I clung to them desperately during the first week. On these pages, she told me where I needed to be and when I needed to be there. She told me which resources I needed to take with me, which storeroom I would find the resources in and the best times to collect, set up, clean and return the sources. I followed her detailed notes absolutely and relied on them totally. They were constantly with me and never far from my reach. By the second week, I was beginning to feel more confident. This allowed my child-like curiosity and energy to set in. I began looking through the storerooms to find interesting instruments. This is one instrument I found...

...a rainstick.

I love these! I started to carry the rainstick around to all of my classes. I would sit in front of the students and play the instrument. Their little faces would light up and they would watch with excitement. Then, I would tell them that the rainstick had nothing to do with the lesson. I told them that I loved the rainstick and was playing just because it was so cool. Then I would go on with my lesson.

Another teacher saw me carrying the rainstick around. He can read music. He understands those symbols and encrypted messages. He can even write sheet music! He said this to me: Did you know that this instrument originated in Peru. Did you know,that this instrument was used by the ancient tribesmen to serenade the Gods.... They played the rainstick to the Gods in the hope that the Gods would let the rain fall over their fields and crops. Did you know, he asked, that this instrument was made from a cactus.

A cactus? Of course, he was right.

The ancient tribesmen would cut off the dead ranches of the cactus tree. The men would then hollow out the branch and be left with something looking like this...

Then they would get a hammer or stone and hammer the thorns back through the cactus. They would push the thorns into the cactus, so that the centre of the branch was a mass of thorns - layers on layers of thorns.

The tribesmen would seal off one end of the branch. Then, they poured dried berries, pebbles or grain into the branch and sealed off the top end. Each time they turned the branch, gravity would push the pebbles or grain to the lowest point of the branch. As the pebbles fell towards the lowest point, they would hit each of the thorns.

The impact of the pebbles on the thorns creates the beautiful sound of the rainmaker.

I am finishing my last days as the music teacher...

This is what I have learned - I don't need to know how to read sheet music to teach young children music. I don't need to understand all of those secret symbols. If I can teach a child to love the rainmaker, there is a real chance that they will be interested in music. This interest will encourage them to learn to read the secret symbols when they are given the chance.

I won't avoid teaching music anymore.

(This was my tenth Toastmasters Speech! It won another trophy.)