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Beating the Stereotypes
By Administrator - Friday, October 30, 2009

Rightfully or wrongly, musicians are often stereotyped. From the effete neighbor who looks down his nose as we load our gear into the car to the drunken bar patron who thinks his request to “Play some Sabbath, man!” will be met, the world tends to see musicians in a certain light.

Now, to be fair, I should acknowledge that musicians aren’t the only people painted with a broad brush because of their occupation (there are a few lawyer jokes out there if I’m not mistaken) and some of the stereotypes about musicians are positive–that we are creative, bohemian and living the dream of sticking it to the man. The general public really doesn’t have any way of knowing the realities of the musician’s life; they see the band at the bar playing “Carry On Wayward Son” but they don’t see the rehearsals or the phone calls that went into booking the gig. But enough diplomacy. You, as a music teacher, can use the stereotypes of musicians to your advantage.

So just what are these evil stereotypes? Well, let’s see. For starters, musicians are unreliable flakes, heroin addicts, live in their cars, think that hygiene is saying hi to your friend Gene, and have at least one felony on their record. And those are their good qualities.

It should be noted, like it or not, some of these things may be true. Whether it was Keith Moon destroying his drums on stage or Poison’s Bret Michaels saying that “safe sex is not falling out of bed during the act”, lots of rock musicians—not to mention jazzers and classical composers–were not exactly model citizens. Closer to home, I have heard many stories of music teachers being late, taking cel phone calls in the middle of a lesson, or forgetting the lesson altogether. I certainly cannot claim 100% punctuality in my career. Once, when I was still living in Boston, I was 25 minutes late to a rehearsal, in part because someone decided it would be a good idea to throw a bicycle on to the Orange Line train tracks. (Ironically I was actually the first person to get to the rehearsal, but I digress.) I jammed once with a great jazz piano player who lived in a complete mess of an apartment. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not exactly a neat freak, but trust me, this had to be seen to be believed. After we had jammed he said, “Well, I gotta get ready, I have a student coming over.”

So, as a music teacher, it’s your job to debunk the stereotypes. My quick Sunday sermon: Show up on time; call if you’re running late. Keep your apartment or other teaching space neat (if you go to their houses, that’s not your problem obviously). Don’t wear ripped jeans. Bathe. Know what you want to teach and have it ready.

Some stereotypes are instrument-specific. Depending on the instrument(s) you teach, you can use this as a way of reinventing the lesson. My most direct experience is teaching guitar, bass guitar and piano. Although I am not a great piano player, I use my mediocrity to my advantage; it helps me empathize with students who are struggling with a piece. I also try to make it fun. Many of my students have parents who were forced to take piano as a kid, with boring, tyrannical teachers, and they are surprised that learning the instrument can actually be fun. (As a business note, I find that generally people are willing to pay more for piano lessons than guitar). When I began teaching piano I was worried that my limited skill would be a problem, but I found that not everyone wants to learn Beethoven or Liszt—and I only really need to learn the pieces I was teaching. Similarly, with guitar, I structure my lessons with an emphasis on reading, theory, fingerstyle technique and other things that may not be spectacular, but are important and will help the student in the long run. One parent complimented my ability to balance less fun stuff like theory and technique with rock songs and blues riffs.

What about other instruments?

Woodwind and brass instruments are often used in marching band music, and anyone who has seen the “American Pie” movies knows how many people see marching bands and their players. A marching band teacher who was one of my consulting clients told me that a father of one of the kids at his school said that “marching band will make (his) son into a gay drug addict.” So tell your students that playing the sax, trumpet, clarinet or trombone isn’t necessarily a one-way ticket to band camp. Maynard Ferguson was playing in the jazz clubs of Montreal when he was 15. The late LeRoi Moore played his saxophone with the Dave Matthews band. And hey, what’s so bad about band camp anyways?

Stereotypes about drummers are plentiful. What do you call a guy who likes to hang out with musicians? A drummer. What did the drummer get on his IQ test? Drool. How do you know if the stage is level? The drool comes out of both sides of the drummer’s mouth. You get the idea. Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart noted the irony that he was perceived as the “smart” guy in the band. Even Ringo Starr was sometimes painted as a lovable buffoon, but as John Lennon eloquently put it, “It always went around that Ringo was dumb, but he ain’t dumb.” How can you debunk this stereotype? Teach note-reading, not just in drum clefs but in treble and bass (after all, the drummer needs to work closely with the bassist). Many drummers say that being at least functional at another instrument— piano for example—is helpful. Tell your students that John Bonham and Keith Moon are all well and good—but that having a good groove is what will actually get them gigs. Also, remember that you don’t have to just teach drum set. There is a market for classical percussion instructors and drumline coaches. Oh jeez, we’re back to band camp. Moving right along…

What about violins and other string instruments? Everyone knows that violinists practice scales and arpeggios for 16 hours a day, dutifully holed up in their room with the metronome, right? Well, don’t tell that to Jerry Goodman, the jazz violinist who matched virtuoso John McLaughlin’s scorching riffs on the fusion benchmark “Birds of Fire”, or to Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band. Many rock groups have used strings—from the Beatles on “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yesterday” to Guns’N’Roses with “November Rain.” Tell your students that just because they can fire off the Tchaikovsky violin concerto doesn’t mean that they can’t rock out as well.

Now, for vocalists. Singers certainly take their share of barbs. How many girl singers does it take to change a light bulb? One, to hold the bulb while the world revolves around her. What’s the difference between a soprano and a terrorist? You can negotiate with a terrorist. All singers are self-centered divas, American Idol wanna-bes, out-of-key caterwaulers—you name it. Give your vocal students a sense of perspective if need be—and teach them to truly understand the music they are singing. They should know how to sight read, follow a chord progression, improvise, and in some cases, how to transpose and write charts and have a book of all of their songs to give their players. Yes, stage presence is important, but these skills are what get singers work.

Well, much as I’d like to begin debunking the rampant stereotypes about the didgeridoo, zither, alto clarinet, oboe d’amour, alpenhorn and Theremin, it’s time I wrap things up. So go ahead and teach your banjo students the “Deliverance” theme, but don’t be afraid to teach them Beethoven either. Make sure your vocal students not only can hit high “C” but also write it. Get your drum students to stop drooling. Now stop reading this, you’re going to be late for your next lesson!