At the start of this term I spent several weeks teaching my beginner string students the name of the various parts of their respective instruments. Today I was less than amused when one of the beginner cellists informed me that his cello's 'leg' was stuck and a beginner violinst told me she had a broken 'thread'!

(sorry I know it's not funny but I giggled )

Lottie, so did I... 'Thread'!

I wouldn't have been impressed either. We're always being told a child's brain is like a 'sponge', it just soaks up information without any problems. However, many also have an attention span less than that of a goldfish..... which is not really time enough to soak up anything

Yes, it was the E thread!

Today I was horrified to find that an adult student of nearly two years' standing could not tell me the definition of a rest! Suggestions were "hang on to the note" (this is what she was doing), play quietly, pause (a bit nearer here!). The idea that it was a period of silence seemed quite alien! I am now quizzing others on the meaning of the rest signs. I think it is very easy to assume that a student knows something because they happen to be playing it correctly. However, she has at last understood how key signatures work, which is a concept she has so far found hard to grasp, so today has been quite a learning curve for her!

Yesterday Aaron waved his bow in the air and asked 'am I using my stick today?'

Eek! And I get irked when students of Chinese talk about drawing characters instead of writing them. They're not pictures, it's writing!!!