Demotivating Experience

Jul 13, 2014 • Francisco Palm

I was in elementary. So I liked a lot to sing and I was informed about an audition to join school’s choir. I was really eager to be part of the choir, and due to that I was very nervous. The test was very quick, without much explanation had to repeat some vocal tones, and the nerves left me almost left me speechless. After two attempts I was rapidly rejected.

Actually, I didn´t mind so if I was good or not at singing, I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere of music learning and to learn more from the essays. From that day and for several years I didn’t try again to take this kind of test or singing classes, and since this day and for several years I feel very uncomfortable to sing in front of others.

In these cases I think there are social  and cultural conventions that hinder learning processes, it is assumed in advance that something like singing is a talent whose basic skills can not be developed through work.

Long time since I didn’t remind of this, but a few days ago I saw a TV interview of a famous venezuelan jazz pianist who had been rejected as a child for lack of musical talent, and that person,  with great effort and dedication for many years, had received a few years ago the national music award. People in general, and particularly children, should not learn to please others but simply for the pleasure of learning.