Saturday, October 6, 2012

Marie Antoinette Eats Cake, parts 697 - 700


697. Why did he say that a child never makes a mistake?  Because every supposed mistake is simply the correct answer to some other question the child understands. 

698. So then, if a child is playing a piece on the keyboard and they make a mistake, one can ask this question, does that mistake sound good? If the mistake sounds good, scratch out the original notes, and write in the mistakes, and give the child a guilder. Reward all mistakes and encourage accidents, give your blessing to struggling incompetence. Remember this, a branch from a tree grows down to the ground, even so, is only seeks the light.

699. A four year old says ba-blan-as instead of bananas. The parents laugh and get the child to repeat the mistake because it is so sweet, but in some dark hovel another child is beaten for the same mistake. And in conclusion the old teacher  said, what he always said, "A child can no more make a mistake, than a rose bush can make a mistake, they have been born to bloom, and bloom they will if only they possibly can.

700. The only way the music tutor found to deal with the Empress was to stall and put her off from day to day; meanwhile he made no progress with little Marie. He accepted her insistence about not playing Bach, but was confused by her obvious antagonism to the lesson herself. The tutor always had great luck with his young charges.

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