I remember my first day well on my PGCE course; brash, confident, hungry and above all very much looking forward to a new chapter in my career. Before the course, I had enjoyed a wonderfully nomadic career as a professional musician having trained at one of the top Jazz conservatoires in Europe (something I am immensely proud of) . My plan was simple, graduate and then work my way up to headlining Ronnie Scotts and the Pyramid Stage in Glastonbury, throw in an appearance on Jools Holland and job done, bucket list emptied, mic well and truly dropped…The reality was quite the opposite and dare I say, realistic?
I struggled to get ANY long-term gig after I graduated and lived a struggling artists existence but things eventually picked up and up and got to travel all over the world, perform with some tremendous musicians and showbands plus I even did a couple of assistant teachers gigs at a Jazz summer school in France where other than learning from the best this side of the Atlantic.
I also met my wife whilst touring so it made sense to pack in the lazy day by the beaches, crazy jam sessions and cabin parties plus the three hour working days for the glamour of stressful days in last period music tech classes, no late nights in jam sessions and double-digit workdays, the things you do for love.
In truth, teaching was always my calling whether I was aware of it or not and the buzz I get from passing experience and knowledge to eager students far outstrips the day to day grind of gigging, at least the responses from a lesson are honest if albeit obnoxious (gotta love teenagers right?) and as my colleague pointed out you get to perform to an audience every day with music teaching. In the right institution, being a music teacher really gives you many opportunities to develop and mature as a musician and I’m enjoying my personal research on genres I never would have covered when I was gigging.
As performers we go into the industry with a sense of what kind of legacy we’d like to leave, that’s why we take risks with opportunities and relish those bookings where we get to perform at Glastonbury or Jools….then immortalise those moments on Instagram and wait for the likes to come flooding in! I chose to be a music teacher to leave my legacy in the hands of our future performers and to create memories with my students so they too can pass these on.
What made you decide to work as a music teacher?
Mike Wright Music Education 