What are you listening to?
And who cares?
Today's Spin Selection is Black Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson's Great Connection.
Who cares?
Your students will.
Share with them:
- What you're listening to (Oscar Petersen)
- In what format (on vinyl)
- And why (“I'm imagining what's possible for me on the piano by listening to this master”)(or sometimes I say “‘cause it's cool af”).
In your imaginary spare time during the lesson, play a portion for them. Explain in real time why you're jiving with this cat (say it like that to really connect with them).
It's such a small thing. But it is huge.
Some random gathering is going to happen at school or work or at some conference in two months or next year or tomorrow and music will come up and suddenly someone will say, “Blah blah blah Canadian musician” and kapow! You suddenly have at least one reference bonding you. If you then reply, “Oh, yeah, Oscar Petersen blah blah blah”, bam! You're connected.
It's feels snazzy when it happens.
This is part of learning about music—learning about what makes other musicians go bananas. Sometimes the conversation comes up organically, but, for example, with teens you really need to prime the conversations to get them going. Once done, though, the lessons become deeper, fuller, funner even, because you can then sprinkle in things they actually like, and when it happens spontaneously that's the best feeling.
We teach this.
