I am now in the final week of my stay here! The term has gone so quickly that I feel like I only began yesterday. I have had a particularly memorable last few days, with the highlight being a ten-piece concert with my friends and classmates in a church in Bolton. As I have no religious affiliations, I had never been to church at Christmas before! We performed some brass ensemble pieces and Christmas carols in front of a warm and receptive audience, encouraging everyone there to join in with the singing.
My teachers kindly arranged a mini-recital for me to mark the conclusion to my short stay here, and almost all of my classmates were there to listen. I have to thank them for their friendship, support and encouragement - I really relished the positive attitude towards learning of the trombone department here, which is very competitive yet full of extremely supportive people.
It has been a great pleasure to have met and interacted with all the staff and classmates at the RNCM, the trombone department, and especially my trombone teacher Simon Cowen. Simon has enhanced my playing technique and musicality and I have been profoundly influenced by his passion for music and enthusiasm for teaching. He is an incredibly hard-working person! I think this is enthusiasm is the most precious and valuable quality of a good teacher - it drives you to influence and enhance the musicality of your students. I think this is extremely powerful – a teacher’s influence is not only confined to music making but can even impact positively on students' attitudes towards life more generally. I am very lucky to have met a very good teacher in Hong Kong when I was young and another amazing teacher at the RNCM. Although my stay is only a term in length, the impact it has had on me will be life-long and I will definitely apply everything I learnt here when I return in an effort to help my students as much as possible.
Finally I would like to thank Bill Thomson, Richard Crozier and his team for offering continual support to us throughout our time here. My studies here have really inspired me to become a better teacher and player. The network I have built within these few months has been very rewarding - exchanging ideas and sharing experiences, especially across cultures, is extremely beneficial in inspiring teaching ideas and enriching teaching methods. I can't wait to share all I have learnt with my friends and students!
Posted by
Palas Chan
