1ple, it is sometimes stated that brain. Cognitive scientists have des and, in more recent yeais, being activated during musical music education conferences ,and the mind, work. But we do ‘pecific'zones, and also that the force—new musical demands, dents engage in a ¥ange of ere- Jo not spend their whole time acted preparation of pieces for sing their instrumental currica- lp their students develop their er Chapter 7 The first lesson It is not our abilities that show what we are, itis our choices, Professor Albus Dumbledore (Headmaster: Hogwarts Schoo! of Witchcraft and Wizardry) congratulates Hery Potter and Ron Weasley on ‘the loyalty that saved the day in the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling 2002) It’s not really that | think i'm gonna be @ pop star or anything, though that would be nice, it's just that | can see now that I've got choices. ‘Dean in unpublished Youth Music paper 2006 Dean, aged 15, lives on an estate with mass unemployment, violence, and & ‘very high rate of teenage pregnancy. He says that he willbe the first person in hss family to work for three generations. He became involved in music as part ‘of a Youth Musie Action Zone, Professor Albus Dumbledore requires no introductio In this chapter we consider ‘ist lessons’ under three headings: ++ Choices + Ethos # On reflection, Choices We face many choices when deciding how to structure out frst lesson for any student(s). This is the case whether we are the first, or twenty-fitst, teacher that a stuclent has had on our instrument, ‘What do you remember of the very first lesson that you received on the instruntent that you now think of as‘main'? And of the frst lessons that you had from any subsequent teachers of the same instrument? For me, that instrument is the violin, And while I had a suecession of four violin teachers over the years Iam for simplicity, going to write only about my first teacher here,134 | rset urss0% “While others teach themselves violin, or teach themselves the very first few stages of violin, my first violin lesson was also the frst occasion on which T ever picked up, or tried to play, le instrument, This was although there was—in a sense —alteady violin inthe family. Tis took the form of to (literally) wood srormed, stting-free, and sound-post-free violins secreted in the attic of my paternal grandfather's home, My father recalled using a matchbox as a substitute fora bridge when playing eround on one ofthe violins asa child. But fortunately no one suggested that I‘try them out’ af, worse sill had one ‘done up’ for me to play. Had they done so doubs that I would sill be describing the violin as my ‘mais’ instrument. Not only were our family violins in dreadful condition, they were so heavy that they would always have been discoutagingly dificult to play Back to my memories of my first vielin Lesson. “This was in May 1965, and I had just had my eleventh birthday. My mother, who played French horn, hed chosen violin for me because she thought that I "wanted (o play violin with a drove of other violinist in an orchestra, and she {was mindful that there were moze opportunities to pley orchestral violin than horn, (In fact, [had exprested interest in playing violin because I had seen Martin Milner playing a Mozart violin concerto in the orchestra where my riother played horn, and I thought that his role looked more exciting than hers) My mother chose a violin teacher for me who lived locally, and who was raven from among those who taught atthe secondary school where she had been a student. My teacher had chosen a wonderful-looking three-quarter-size violin that cost £6 10s, and a less visually exciting bow that cost a seemingly ‘extortionate £1 30s, My violin lessons cost 6 guineas a term. By the end of my first lesson I had learnt through following the example of my teacher and also ‘through listening to what she sai, to: «+ tune my violin (using pegs not namby-pamby adjusters) «+ play all the open strings pizicato banjo syle and with the violin support: ‘ed in playing position, in both cases with attention to the quality of sound «+ play a sequence of open strings called out by my teacher, while she added an accompaniment on her piawo + bow the D and A strings, ws tion to the quality of sound Jing up and down fall bows, agsin with atten- + recognize the four open notes on the stave ++ look after my violin, for example by letting down the bow, adding resin, and dusting the instrument, ‘Heft the lesson with a written record of what we had done, intended mainly 0 that my mother could support my practice over the next week. By the timecnorces | 135 ich themselves the very first few 4 that the schools broke for summer in July, was bowing my way cheerfully the fist occasion on which I ever through frst position using full and half bows, making a reasonable sound as | ‘is was although there was—in a did so, and playing scales and simple melodies that my teacher and mother the form of to (literally) wood- accompanied on viotn or piano, Some ofthe melodies were composed by my olins secreted in the attic of my teacher and written by het in my notebook; others were from published Lusingamatchboxasa substitute resources. violins asa child, But fortunately This is not the only way of giving someone a fts lesson, and it will not have stiljhad one done up'formeto been the only way of giving a fist lesson that would have worked for me, And sil be describing the violin as my doubiless other students receiving the ‘same’ lesson might have emphasized iolins in dreadful condition, they different feetares in their accounts, My lesson lasted 45 minutes: Ihave doubt- iscouragingly diffcat to play. less left out aspects of it in what I have written above, on ae However, I would suggest thet my firs lesson, as Ihave recalled it, had sev- y eleventh birthday. My mother, tal characteristics that are—or at least neatly —essenti seme because she thought that I sts in an orchestra, and she ies to play orchestral violin than 2ying violin because I had seen erto in the orchestra where my role looked more exciting than who lived locally, and who was secondary school where she had lerful-ooking three-quarter-size ing bow that cost a seemingly wineas aterm, By the end of my ‘example of my teacher and also + Tmade music, + My teacher made music. + My teacher planned the lesson to build upon my previous musical expeti- ‘ence, which she had researched through discussion with my mother (and possibly also with me—I think that I can remember this conversation), ‘+ My teacher adjusted the lesson ‘vertically’ as she found that I knew mote, or less, than she had expected (end possibly also ‘horizontally’ as she found that [had interest, with which she could fink my instrumental learning, that were broader or narrower than she had anticipated). + My new violin knowledge was linked with my existing knowledge of music, (Por example, Iwas already familiar withthe stave, and so Twas shown how the violin notes that I had learnt were placed on i.) + Twas taught to attend to, and improve, the quality of my sound, + Las sent away with an instrument that [could maintain so as to carry out the practice tasks that I had been set. (You would be amazed by how many violin and other string students are sent away with ‘2-string? melodies to play on instruments that they have not learned to tune!) aby adjusters) sie, and withthe violin support- itention to the quality of sound. by my teacher, while she added wn fall bows, again with atte As reflect on this lesson, more than 40 yeats fier it took place, I feel disap- pointed that it did not have a further characteristic: *+ Idid something imaginative or creative. (For example, perhaps I could hhave composed /proposed a series of pizzicato open string notes for my teacher to accompany, and then commented on whether there were ways ‘that my melody, or my teacher's accompaniment, could be improved.) ‘But perhaps my teacher did this, and I have forgotten, ag down the bow, adding resin, twe had done, intended mainly over thie next week. By the time ii icc ag