Feelings of Accomplishment

Author: Kayla Cieslak

When you accomplish something difficult for the first time, that feeling of excitement and disbelief can sometimes be so overwhelming that you just can't contain those feelings! That's how one of my students at Wiley Middle School reacted when she was finally able to play a B flat major scale all the way through without stopping. She jumped up and down and kept saying "I did it! I did it without having to look at my fingers!" As a teacher, this is something that has always brought me joy. To see your students accomplish something that they thought was so difficult and then they do it without having any complications is so rewarding.

Let me give you a back story about the student...

This student is in 7th grade and is partially deaf. She has a cochlear implant and has a sign language interpreter come to her classes to help her understand what her teachers are saying. This is the first student that I have ever taught who has been partially deaf and she can play the flute very well! I can tell that she is excited about the flute because she barely looks at the assistant signing what I am saying. Instead, she's looking directly at me and watches my mouth to really pay attention. That was also the first time I realized that I could explain concepts well enough. The only thing I did differently with her is that I talked a little slower, that way she could watch my lips.

When she started to play, I noticed that she already had the basis of great tone. Most of the fuzziness that she was getting was due to the head joint of the instrument being turned in a little too much. This made sense to me because I turn my head joint in when I feel like my ears are plugged from being congested. When the head joint is turned in, the whole flute vibrates a little differently and the sound is coming more towards you instead of out in front of you, making it easier for you to hear the sound although it is not as full as it could be. In response, I adjusted her head joint out just a little more, which always feels weird at first for the flutist, but once she played a note, she could hear the difference because she had the biggest smile on her face after playing a beautiful B flat! As we continued throughout the lesson, these small but important milestones kept happening and I could tell her passion for flute was continuing to grow. When we got to the end of the lesson, she wanted to try and play the whole B flat major scale. With only a little help from me keeping the beat, she was able to go up the scale with no problem. As soon as she was done, she jumped up and down and said "I did it! I did it without having to look at my fingers!" This was a rewarding moment for me.

What I have learned from teaching just this one student is that if someone is very passionate about something, they will find ways to make it work for them, even if it may be more difficult than normal. What this student doesn't know, is that she inspired me and made me realize how much music can truly mean to someone. Since I work hard at music-making every day, I sometimes take for granted how amazing music really is. I will take this lesson of gratitude with me throughout my life as a performer and teacher.