So I started this music class. Which is really cool when I think about it. A year ago, while I was still applying for the Peace Corps, I dreamed of going to live in another country where they’ve had little access to music classes. And there, I would teach a music class. It was my dream secondary project. And that’s exactly what I’m doing!
I have over 50 kids signed up, but on a given day I never have more than 40. It is open to students in grade 9-12, so I would say ages range between 14 and 19. We meet twice a week, for an hour each time. I teach the entire class in Khmer, which is really cool to me. I didn’t know I had it in me.
When I explained to my school director, my co-teachers, and my students that I wanted to start a music class, I used the word “plaing.” I said I will teach a plaing class and we will sing. Next thing I know, my school director purchased 2 cheap guitars for the school. I was so confused for a while. I told everyone that we will be SINGING. Well, turns out there are different words for music. Plaing is like instrumental music. I should have said “duntrie,” which is somehow different. Basically, I told my community that I was gonna teach a band class where we would sing. After all, I love band…
Well, now at least the students understand. I make them sing- and they come back week after week! This is a good thing!
I spend about a half hour on reading rhythms. They can count out loud and clap rhythms in 4/4 time with quarter notes and eighth notes. I just recently introduced half notes. They are usually very successful when I give them measures with combinations of quarter notes and eighth notes to read. But they have a lot of trouble with LISTENING. Trying to get two different sides of the room to clap different rhythms is proving to be very difficult, even if its just clapping straight quarter and eighth notes. They don’t listen, and it’s very hard for me to show them how it all fits together. But then again, it’s only the third week. Practice, practice, practice. These kids never ever had any instruction whatsoever in music. So I gotta take my time.
The second half hour I spend teaching a song. I started with The Lion Sleeps Tonight. They love the melody with the words. They’re a little wary of the eeeeeeeee um um oway. And they don’t really like the aweengo-weps. It’s a hard song and there’s a lot to it. And to be perfectly honest, at least half of the students cannot even correctly sing a note back to me. What helps is keeping ourselves in the same key the entire class time. Eventually, a couple of students fall into place in the key. I also have it in a key where I can sing it with the girls, but I can also drop down to the boys octave (although it is not very beautiful haha). I do establish the key before we get into the song. We sing some scale patterns and stuff (not really Gordon style- more Mark style). Once again, singing a section by itself goes pretty well, but if I try to put the chorus on top of the aweengo-weps, it all falls apart.
I’m gonna keep at it for a few more classes, see if I can get them to pull it together. If not, I’ll start them on an easier something. Regardless, they are learning in the process.
One problem I have here, that is definitely never a problem in America, is that I am seriously lacking females. Yesterday I had thirty something boys and only 4 girls. The girls are SO SHY. I need to recruit myself some more girls ASAP. Once I do that, maybe I can have sectionals, just so I can give more individual attention, and really see for sure where the skill level of my students is.
I am enjoying my music class very much. We laugh a lot. Sometimes I tease them about confusing quarter notes and eighth notes, or about not understanding my instructions even though I’m speaking Khmer. Often, I let them tease me about losing my marker ever 5 seconds, or about my cracking manly voice when I sing with the boys. We have a good time.
I’m just trying to revel in the fact that I’ll probably never again have students who are so keen to learn music from me. For example, I will be teaching, and I’ll look out into the room and see 1 or 2 kids “sneakily” taking pictures or videos on their phones. Actually, just today someone came up to me and told me that I sing beautifully. I asked where she heard me sing. She said she heard it on one of my students’ phones.
I’ll end this not-so-interesting post with a quote from a blog post exactly one year ago:
“ And so, it is now 2011. The year I student teach. The year I graduate college. The year my performing ensembles in school go on tour to Italy. The year I turn 22. And, more than anything, I hope its the year that I start my Peace Corps service.”
All that happened, and more! 2011 may have been the best year so far. So many wonderful memorable things happened. Sure there was craziness and I had my moments, but everything that I reached for came to be. This year I learned more than anything that making things happen for yourself is possible, but sometimes it’s an uphill battle the whole way. You just gotta be strong enough to keep pushing, and not view trials as failures.
And here’s to 2012. The year that… I’m still in Cambodia haha J
Pictures:
1. Here’s a shot a couple months ago of some flooding in my area. This was a rice field…
2. A non-flooded rice field. We were approaching harvest time, because it was starting to yellow. I took both these pictures on a bike ride to and from the provincial town (18 miles).
3. The sunburn on my legs after the bike ride. And that’s what happens when your knees see sunlight for the first time in 4 months.
4. 4. My neighbor chopping open a coconut. That is my host sister in the background.
5. And 6. MIKEY! His name sounds like mikey, except you don’t pronounce the K. It’s weird. He’s really really cute, but quite the spoiled little monster. These shots were taken before he really warmed up to me. I took this opportunity to take pictures of him because he was actually wearing pants.
You're amazing, Diana. It's great to be able to read about all of your impressive work at site.
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