Reflections on the ideal student
(Based on some combination of feelings and experience), the ideal student would obviously practice, understanding, on some level, that a weekly lesson supports growth but does not produce it on its own. But how much would the ideal student practice? I would be more concerned with the quality and precision of the student’s work than how much they would boast. Speaking from experience, it’s easy to play a kind of prideful game with the number of hours practice one can boast. It’s rarer to brag about practice quality, which more closely represents a discipline and consistent, yet ever-fresh, routine. I would wish for my student to practice sufficiently to develop and satisfy her musical curiosity, but not for the sake of putting in more time (although, as it did with me in undergrad, putting in many hours can spur the desire to be more efficient and prioritize quality).
The ideal student would also love music for its own sake. He would not demand that I remind him of the wonder and beauty of this art form, though he may expect me to broaden his musical horizons or help enrich his experiences with music. The ideal student would possess a passionate desire, backed by carefully crafted and detailed workmanship, to master different works and skills at the piano, and our work together would resemble a mutual exploration of the work, rather than anything resembling a lecture.
But what is an ideal? Somehow, I find it easily runs counter to fate or destiny, if we believe in either of those. An ideal supposes unity and fixity, and an attempt at an ideal likely involves struggle against things as they stand. Destiny, on the other hand, fixes a predefined course, disregarding one’s agency or choice in the matter - struggle as one might, there is no escape - No matter what else happens, or how little things seem to connect, the destination remains. Maybe destiny represents some kind of ideal, rather than contradicting it. Ideally, I would let this post sit and attempt to think more on the matter before sharing. (02/17 - that was a good instinct that I disregarded, but here I am, trimming a week later). But, somewhat contrary to the first post on iterations, I am not editing these. I take some free time out of the day to write, then publish the rough draft immediately after completion. Some thought on the relationship between ideals and destiny/fate (but wait: are destiny and fate the same? How might they be different?) remains for another day.
