Scott's Music Class
When
I stepped on the stray dog while I was teaching, I knew I was a long way from
home. It was hot and muggy.
The area was OBVIOUSLY poor. The
dogs looked like skeletons. A man
was sweeping the dirt floor to tidy up. The
church had no walls, no doors, no electricity, and no plumbing.
Still, the students turned it into a classroom.
Nearly
25 people showed up at the church to learn music from the tall, red-headed
gringo. So, for two hours, we
learned about notes, rhythms, and scales. We
sang songs in Spanish, English, and Quiché… the native Mayan language. Five
of the youth brought their guitars. Several
stuck around after the class to play and sing a bit.
Some of the students couldn’t read, which made this learning
environment different than any other I had ever experienced. Still, they participated with everyone else, even though the
class handouts and the writing on the whiteboard meant nothing to them. In
the end, everyone was singing, clapping, laughing, and learning rhythm from a guy
who has none.
It
was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.
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