Mia Musica is 1 year old!

Lately I have been working on new teaching plans for the coming year, and it hit me all of a sudden that Mia Musica has been around for a year!

In the past year, I have witnessed my students’ growth and progress, and I get a sense of pride and jubilance from my students’ achievements in both exams and competitions. However my greatest source of happiness is when I hear from parents how much their children enjoy lessons and how much they enjoy playing violin and piano. To me the most significant validation of my effort is to watch my students enjoy music; progress in exams is easy to measure, but enjoyment in music is hard to quantify.

Since I started teaching professionally more than 10 years ago, I never forced my students to practice using negative reinforcement; I always hoped they could develop a love for music that came from within, and practice because of self-motivation. It is difficult to ask that of all students, but it is possible: let music become part of your life, and let playing instruments not be a chore, but a pleasure. To be able to enjoy and play music is a blessing.

 

最近這段時間我在整理新的教學計畫,恍然發現時間飛逝,一個學年轉眼就過了。

在這段時間裡,我可以看到學生的成長和改變,也很對於比賽考試得獎有好成績的學生感到驕傲。但最讓我開心的是,聽到家長告訴我他們的孩子多麼喜歡跟我上課,喜歡彈琴拉琴,這真的是對我莫大的肯定,就是讓這些學琴的孩子喜愛享受音樂。

一直以來我都不喜歡強迫學生練琴或用外在的因素來督促他們。我總是希望他們能發自內心的喜愛音樂,近而自我要求。也許這聽起來對年幼的學生不容易,但還是有可能實現的。讓音樂成為生活的一部份,讓練琴不是苦差事,而是一種享受,可以演奏樂器,不斷的學習真的是很幸福的事!

Sick Policy: 生病請請假! Please reschedule lessons when sick!

這個週末因為感冒取消了所有的課。我是一個不喜歡改變計畫的人,取消要上的課,代表的不只是損失收入,還要聯絡家長想補課或費用挪到下個月等種種瑣事。所以取消課,等於就是麻煩。

I had to cancel all the classes this weekend due to the flu. I don’t like to change plans; in addition to the loss of income, canceling classes requires coordinating with students and parents, rescheduling lessons, refunds, use the credit for next months lessons, and so on, and so on. Therefore, canceling classes amounts to an administrative nightmare.

身體的生病是一種折磨,而我的一歲小孩也同時生病,使得生活更為疲備。自己難受還要照顧一個生病的幼童,其中的難處,只有自己當父母的人才能了解。

Physical illness is a kind of torture. On top of that, my one-year-old boy also got sick, making it even more tiresome. Taking care a sick child while being sick myself is the kind of difficulty only parents can understand.

這段流行感冒的季節,很多的學生生病了還是跑來上課,有的咳嗽很厲害,有的聲音都變了,有的還直打噴嚏。原本以為只要勤洗手,多喝水,應該沒事,但終究敵不過病毒的侵擾。雖然我嫁的這位免疫學"博士專家"說:「偶爾讓身體的免疫系統要跟病毒打打仗,才不會閒著沒事做,自己攻擊自己的器官。」在受罪的時候聽了這種理論,也只有自我安慰或幽默一下,凡事都有好的一面。

The flu season has been one of the worst in decades according to CDC. Many of my students are sick: some sneezing continuously, some coughing severely, and some even lost their voices. With a few cases, I might be able to fend off the virus by regular hand washing, exercise and drinking plenty of fluid. At the end, all the precautions were no match for the virus. My Dr. Immunology husband says: “occasional infections may be beneficial; it keeps your immune system busy fighting foreign objects and reduce the chance of autoimmune responses.” Listening to this “theory” while suffering the flu symptoms, the only comforts I can find is my sense of humor and there is a bright side to everything!

這次教訓之後,真是要呼籲大家,生病了就"好好在家休息"吧!一方面以公德心的角度來講,不要把病毒"分享"給別人,另一方面自己有充分休息,也恢復得快,勉強來上課既不能專心,效果也不如平常。對學生來說因為生病不能上課,只是錯過一堂音樂課,對我來說,生病要陪上整個禮拜,甚至半個月的收入和折磨,如果弄得我的幼兒也加入,一折疼下來可能要一個月。親愛的家長們!請有點同情心,老師也是人啊!

Let this be a lesson! I’d like to ask everyone to stay home and rest when sick. From the “civic-minded” & public health perspective, don’t “share” the virus with others, and from the “selfish” perspective, you will recover faster if you get plenty of rest. When students come to the classes sick, they can’t pay attention, they don’t learn effectively, and they are suffering. If the students choose to stay home, they just have to reschedule the lesson for another time. When I get sick, classes have to be canceled for an entire week, if not more. This affects not only me, my family; it affects all my other students as well. One thing about self-employment is that there are no sick leaves, so the consequences is physical, mental and financial. Dear parents, have a little compassion, teacher are people, too!  😉

Year-end Reflections 年終感想

As the calendar is about to turn a new year, my heart is full of gratitude. Since establishing Mia Musica six months ago, we grew from 3 to nearly 20 students. When asked how this was achieved, I can only reply “everything deserves total commitment”. In the past few years, I focused on developing my performing career: rehearsals, concerts and competitions accounted for most of my time. Taking practice and preparation into consideration, my schedule was full. This year, I make the decision to settle down and focus on teaching, so the experience I have accumulated during my entire music career can be pass on to the next generation of aspiring musicians. I hope my students will be able to share my passion and love for music.

在歲末年初之季,心裡實在充滿感恩。 Mia Musica 成立至今滿半年了,從原本三個學生成長到將近二十個。如果有人問我,這是如何辦到的,我只能說「凡事都要全力以赴」。在過去幾年中,在演奏上的發展,排練、音樂會、比賽佔了大半時間,還有自己的練習和準備,實在很忙。今年下定決心定下來從事教學工作,可以將自己這幾年來的心得傳承給下一代。希望我的學生們將能分享我對音樂的激情和熱愛。