This Music Teacher Has No Room For Music

(At the start of Year Nine, my class gets a new music teacher. Although she is a good teacher at first, as the year wears on, she gets much stricter and meaner to the students. Soon, it becomes common practice for those of us who use the music practice rooms to only use them on the days when the teacher isn’t around. On a day when the teacher is in, a friend and I go to the practice rooms to rehearse for a performance we are giving soon. We find that all of the practice rooms are locked.)

Me: *to teacher* “[Teacher], could you unlock a practice room for us, please?”

Teacher: “No. The music centre is being used today.”

(Ignoring the fact that the practice rooms are not actually in use, we go to the only other available piano in the school, outside the music classroom, and start practicing on that. I put the sound down on it so as not to disturb anyone.)

Teacher: *leaving classroom* “I told you that you can’t be in here! You need to read the SIGN!”

Me: “I read the sign. It says that we can’t use the rooms on Monday or Tuesday for the rest of term—”

Teacher: “—and that you CAN’T use the music centre because it’s IN USE today!”

Me: “But—”

Teacher: “What you need to do is go outside and READ the SIGN!”

(I go outside and read the sign, which is one of several posted on the door. In about two hundred words, it says that we cannot use the centre when the teacher isn’t in – Monday and Tuesday – or when it is reserved for a number of school bands – Wednesday to Friday. I give up on trying to rehearse and leave, accepting that we won’t be able to perform tomorrow as planned, since our first and only practice was yesterday and we are not ready. Later on, my other friend, who has just had a lesson with the music teacher, complains to me about her lesson.)

Friend: “[Teacher] split our group up!”

Me: “What?!”

Friend: “Yeah, she told [Other Group Members] that they couldn’t perform and told me I have to do a solo!”

Me: “Why would she do that?!”

Friend: “She said that [Other Group Members] have ‘confidence issues’ and can’t perform!”

Me: “Oh, lord. Is anyone actually going to take Music GCSE with her teaching it?”

(A few days later, I look at the class numbers for my year in Year 10. Only six people – out of a class of ninety-six – had applied for music! And our music teacher was NOT happy about that!)

This story is part of our Music In Our Schools roundup!

Read the next Music In Our Schools roundup story!

Read the Music In Our Schools roundup!