Guitar Lesson with MK

Last Wednesday MK and I added guitar lessons into our tutoring sessions as an extra treat. This came into being because recently MK and I entered a discussion about music during one of our tutor sessions. Through that discussion I learned that he recently had acquired a guitar and was attempting to learn. On top of that we both had our Wednesday afternoons free up with the change of seasons, allowing us to add an additional day each week to our tutor sessions. So for now until the remainder of the semester each Wednesday we plan to dedicate our extra time into learning guitar. I must say, I am incredibly grateful that South Burlington has given us this opportunity and has set us up with our own room to practice in.

Just from one session with MK I can see he has had a lifetime of experience with music and his raw musical talent is truly impressive. After one session he was able to improvise a guitar part to accompany a Nepali song that he knows. His rhythm is spot on and his ability to adapt technique from prior instruments into playing guitar after only a few short minutes was amazing. He hopes to incorporate playing guitar and singing into one of his religious ceremonies by the end of the spring, at first I was nervous as to whether or not we could reach that level after a few short sessions, but after Wednesday I have no doubt he can accomplish that goal.

Having this opportunity is incredible, I think often in schools moments of pure learning are often hidden under layers of assignments, tests and grades, but opportunities such as this break out as a pure learning experience. What I mean by this is that when learning an instrument there is no standard to meet, the end goal is improvement over one's prior self. Dedicated practice makes it so one is bound to improve every time they pick up the instrument. This makes learning quantifiable and quantifiable improvement is a huge self confidence boost for anyone. Feedback from a guitar is not hidden under layers of grades or assessments, it is raw and instant from the pick of each note.
I can only imagine that receiving this feedback and witnessing one's own development in such a manner is beneficial to one's self worth, especially for our ESL students. Music transcends language, for students who already may be doubtful of their self worth providing a point of pride such as music, could make all the difference.