A Week of Wah Wah

New school term. We’ve returned to in-person teaching and every moment is somehow intensified. The atmosphere in some places is borderline hysterical. It might be caused by relief but there’s an underlying sense of undiscussed dread. We’ve arrived home after an endless journey of breakdowns and terrifying near misses. But it’s just so good to be back.
 
The pandemic has been survival of the most motivated. Fighting past all the disruptions, and learning online has forced them to demonstrate, not least to themselves, that they really want to learn.
 
Some pretty amazing sounds have come out of this week’s lessons. On the first day the shops were open, I walked past a charity shop and saw a VERY cheap wah wah pedal (it makes the guitar go “wah wah”). So I’ve been teaching on my oldest electric guitar and going “wah wah” over whatever they’re playing – rock, funk, Bach. Whatever. I bought the guitar when I was a teenager and it’s clearly a design that appeals to that age group, because most of their eyes popped out when they saw it. I think it helps them that I get so enthusiastic about playing it too.
 
Teaching Moment of the Week
One primary age student gave a different name each week for the first month I taught her. Eventually the parents insisted on some consistency with one abbreviated version of her name. This week another teacher passed by and used the child’s full name, which I then did without thinking, twice in quick succession. I got dirty looks like you wouldn’t believe. Usually, when I use a wrong name, I tell the student they can use any random wrong name for me for the rest of the day (I get called Cyril a lot). This approach didn’t begin to cut it for this girl. Then I hit on telling her to call me Alexander, explaining that it’s pretty much only my mum who does that. She found a LOT of opportunities to use my name for the rest of the day. I think it could spread. This might be the first time I get called Alexander by everyone since I was in primary school myself.

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