A Recurring Segment On Fostering a Refined and Stylish Appreciation for the Modern Musical Arts.
When all the bureaucratic nonsense, government meddling, and standardized assessment fecal matter all melts away....a teacher's job is to influence their students--influence them to love the subject, to study it, to adopt certain habits and values that make a good student and an eventual productive member of society. And though, at times, it seems the reality is often much closer to that of a correctional officer at Alcatraz rather than Socrates, there is honestly nothing like the moment when a teacher knows they have made a meaningful impact in a student's life.
When all the bureaucratic nonsense, government meddling, and standardized assessment fecal matter all melts away....a teacher's job is to influence their students--influence them to love the subject, to study it, to adopt certain habits and values that make a good student and an eventual productive member of society. And though, at times, it seems the reality is often much closer to that of a correctional officer at Alcatraz rather than Socrates, there is honestly nothing like the moment when a teacher knows they have made a meaningful impact in a student's life.
That moment happened for me today...but not in the traditional instructional way. You see, the students that stop by for tutoring after school often merely stop by to talk music with me. For days now, we've gone back and forth after-hours pulling up Youtube clips of our "best musician of his time" moments and debating eras and genres--I pulling for the classics (Zeppelin, Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hendrix, Buddy Guy, etc.), and they pulling for mostly modern hardcore latrines of musical by-products (sorry, honesty hurts).
The moment the light bulb went on, however, and the grown-up rock revelation occurred was the introduction of one single man into the conversation--and that man was Buddy Rich.
Speechless. I don't think I'd ever seen these students like that before. They'd been 100% positive moments before I showed them this video that Travis Barker (Blink182) had been the end-all drummer of the solar system. But when confronted by a true musical legend who could put the aforementioned boy to shame at over 60 years old and all in a dapper tuxedo....they'd never see music the same again.
Neal Pert and John Bonham, of course, made appearances and the conversation continued, but nothing solidified my point better than the classically smooth jazz rythms of a man truly gifted in the art of swagger (even if his temper got the best of him a few times).
But alas, that's all I've got. I've just been meaning to revive this series for some time now but had never found the right one with which to do it. Be sure to check out some of Buddy's old records and compilations. Even if you don't have a soft spot in your heart for jazz and swing like I do, I can assure you that it will not disappoint.
Until next time, rock on, my friends.
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