Happy Friday, Fischarper readers!
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Did you know that not everyone know that…
- harp strings remain color-coded even when you’re a professional?
- clarinets & other reed instruments need reeds to make a sound?
- bows need rosin, & that rosin needs scratched before use?
- wooden reeds need to be wet before playing on them?
- instruments should not be left in extreme temperatures?
This post is just a little reminder that you have knowledge that not everyone has. Even if you’ve recently started studying music, you probably have knowledge that non-musicians don’t. Remember, not everyone knows about music.
But this knowledge gap is especially apparent between those with no exposure to music & those who’ve grown up around music and/or studied it formally. Some (or many!) things might seem normal or common knowledge to us that aren’t for the non-musician or beginning musician. And that’s ok! It’s that way with just about any niche (sports, physics, video gaming…).
If you’re aware of this, it can help you explain concepts or information better & more compassionately. Sometimes I even tell my students that what’s common knowledge to me isn’t to normal people, so they should stop me & ask questions if something doesn’t make sense. I don’t mean this as a braggy thing; it’s more to help them feel comfortable asking questions.
When working with beginning students, their parents, or clients, be aware of this so that you don’t respond with a “duh” or “everybody knows that” attitude. Be humble & don’t look down on them just because they don’t have musical experience. Especially if they’re interested in learning. Now, if someone just doesn’t care to learn or have any consideration, that can be irksome. But if people want to learn & don’t yet have the knowledge, take this opportunity to kindly educate them & share your love of music! Who knows, it might even lead to more business for you!
Most likely, there’s something you don’t know much about (there are lots of those things for me!), and I’m guessing that you’d want people to be encouraging to you. I would!
Would you do me a favor & drop your thoughts on this (whatever your level of musical training, from zero to pro) in the comments?
-Barbara
original image by Marius Masalar via Unsplash
Barbara Fischer runs Fischarper, LLC and loves her job as a harpist and private music educator. She enjoys blogging about various aspects of the music field on fischarper.com/blog. For more music resources, check out the Fischarper store. Find out where you can find Barbara on the interwebs here. And you can sign up to receive Fischarper updates by joining the email list.