Just Ask: Making Connections Where You’re Planted with Dr. Blair Williams

Welcome to our New Years Eve Special Episode with Dr. Blair Williams! Dr. Williams is Assistant Professor of String Music Education at Texas Tech University and Director/Master Teacher of the TTU String Project. She is the co-founder/conductor of the Lubbock Civic Orchestra. She has presented educational sessions and research as well as served as clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the…

I thought that I had a decent amount of experience with teaching because I've had bass students, worked at BAYS, and Sizzling Strings, but today just gave me a reality check.

In the Baylor String Project, me and 8 other Music Ed students teach classes that start beginners from 3rd-7th grade on stringed instruments.  The head of this program gave me the privilege to work with another, more experienced student in our own class without any professors monitoring over us (the other classes are led by faculty).

The first couple of classes went smoothly.  First I would tune all 7 of the kid's instruments as they came into class, put tapes on their instruments, play piano along with the students, walk around the class to give individual assistant while JuRae (the student who has been leading my class) keeps teaching, and give some additional advice when JuRae asks for it. 

But today showed me how hard it can be to be a orchestra director.

5 students had issues with their instruments.  3 of the kids had instruments that wouldn't stay in tune, so I found myself having to go back in forth tuning them.  The bigger problem was with the other 2...one girl left her violin in the car for 3 days and had major intonation problems because of that.  On top of that, the bridge of her violin was knocked too far to the left and her D string was not in the dent where it belongs; it took me forever to notice the D string, so I kept trying to tune her violin for about 5 minutes.  

And then there was number 5.  This girl gave me her instrument, saying "my violin sounds weird...could you check it?"  The strings sounded very, VERY flat for a violin, so I started tuning it higher...until a string snaps off.  

Turns out those weren't violin strings.  They were viola strings.  Whoops.

So on the outside I'm just smiling, saying "whoops!  Looks like your bridge was too high and it helped snap the string (which is partially true)!"  

On the inside, I'm like "OMG GNIHSBGJHBSGHJSBGJ  DJHBD JABDJAHBF HJFB JHGB SJGHB GJKBHg  FUUUUUUUUUUIFSJHBGJHBGJDHBGDKJGBKG BDGK"

At the end of class, JuRae handed over instruction to me, and I could barely think straight.  I tried to explain how to count this rhythm, but ended up not being very articulate because I was so flustered inside.  I'm pretty good at covering up frustration and shock, but I still couldn't think clearly in this situation.  JuRae ended up finishing my explanation.

But man.  As hectic as today was, I'm glad all of this happened.  Today showed me how crazy things can be in class and how prepared you to be to avoid unnecessary obstacles like a broken string.  These crazy moments also made the moments of learning in class so much more beautiful, such as when I helped a kid learn a slur pattern that was tricking him.