It is now approaching my most dreaded moment in the semester.... submitting grading and assessments for the students. I hate this part of the year... and it does happen twice a year.
... unltimatly, I do want all the students to do well. But I fear that our current culture of education and upbring have failed them in training them to be proto-musicians.
Okay, a touch of background... I'm a performing musician... all I really know how to do is to perform concerts... and some teaching as well... but generally pitched at a young professional or early career level is where I'm most comfortable. But recently, I've found myself attached to a university... and along with that, is the lack ability to pick and choose (and FIRE) the students and ensembles that I teach.
And recently, the university has had some INTERESTING ideas about how music should be taught at a tertiary level ... evidentally and obviously written by some well meaning... but hilariously clueless non-musicians. Or if they do happen to play music... then they have never done it professionally.
Anyway, it has meant that I'm now in the position of making assessments where I think that the most generous outcome is... come back in a few years, and I'm really sorry... but you should NEVER have been led on to think that you were ready for this.
... but I can't do that... because of reasons... and that means that I'm going to give generally hideous marks as much as I can... whilst trying to explain that their performance and technical standards are NOWHERE close to being acceptable for even a primary school level... let alone tertiary.
But these people, have been led to believe that by being accepted into a tertiary course... that there is some hope.
I know that it "elitist"... and this sort of thing goes against the prevailing "inclusiveness" ideas... and that just by trying, you will be able to get to a high standard. But "trying" means putting in a shitload of effort, time, discipline, and practice... it is a slog... and it isn't the same "wishing".
So, I have to write these reports... I will likely write them, and leave them a few days to simmer... and possibly rewrite them to be a bit more palatable.... because, in the end... the fault isn't neccessarily with the students... it is with the institution for allowing them to do this course... and then with all the previous many years of telling them that they were "doing well"... when in fact, they needed a more severe kick up the arse to GET THEM TO A MINIMUM STANDARD!
... but then I stop to think and wonder if our teachers had the same thoughts about us... I hope not. But I have a pretty good idea that this is a completely different kettle of fish... given the hoops and auditions and trials that we had to go through... which are now considered to be not neccessary due to it being "unfair".
Trying to achieve... is not the same as actually reaching an achievement. And for some reason, it is "wrong" to say things like that.
GRRRRR... RANT OUT!
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