Old school music instruction at Music Focus
Music teacher Karl Grossman with student Stan Sugarman of Fallen Figure.
by Karl Grossman
It’s with great pleasure I write to you future dwellers of our great music quest here in 2013. No doubt some of this report may find you wriggling with laughter. We actually have to put things in our ears or use conical paper housings coupled to electro-magnets to hear sounds. Sonic implantation techniques have not been perfected. Alas, back here at the turn of the 21st, the diversity of music has become astounding, though its delivery is still primitive. We enjoy multiple styles and genres at the touch of a “button” (more laughter, I assume). We’ve become accustomed to seeing and hearing any performance ever recorded on our electronic screens, before your screen goggles (yes, I know – “Scoggles”) were even invented.
The YouTube phenomenon has exceeded all expectations. We can search for historical as well as cutting-edge music and classics like the Wienerschnitzel commercials. We still teach in person, but mentoring is a rare and dying procedure practiced by a handful of us old school professors. We actually mold students’ hands into the proper postures and explain things using purpose-driven language that seems to have a profound effect. Actual interaction still takes place even though on occasion people are called away to retrieve messages and word streams from their electronic communicators. This seems to be a passing trend though. Increasing numbers of students prefer to study with Music for Dummies.
Hold onto the classics of the past. Who knows, our Jimi Hendrix just may be your Wolfgang Mozart.
Karl Grossman teaches music the old fashion way at Music Focus. (MusicFocus.com)