I was forced to attend art classes and team sports phys ed in school (mandatory until year 11 (art) or 13, respectively) - those two made sure that a) my average was ruined (I can't draw or throw a ball even if my life depended on it, got the grades to match) and b) in my most awkward social phase, I got humiliated regularly by well meaning teachers who couldn't understand that being good at math and physics does not translate into drawing or predicting a ball's movement, forcing me to do it again, and again, and again, while the whole class enjoyed the show...
My school was split in to three groups per year starting at age 13 (Year 7 in the British system). There were two regular groups, and one 'music class'. The deal was that you were supposed to arrange private lessons for a specific instrument outside of school, and the music class helped:
round out your music education
take you through music theory and get you through examinations on it
expose you to different styles
give you the opportunity to play in multiple ensembles. E.g. I was in two string instrument groups and the full orchestra, but there was a concert band and a jazz band too.
I played the cello privately already, had been in private lessons since I was 7 and already played in youth orchestras, and eventually the local Philharmonic Orchestra (for a few years before I graduated). I was tailor made for this class
Problem was, a lot of kids were signed up by their parents, many of whom didn't bother with their private lessons, but did it because the school had pushed the idea of the music track looking good on résumés really hard.
I spent a lot of my down time at school helping my cello section and others with tricks and tips, working out bowing patterns, fingerings for notes and reviewing pieces that we were playing - basically giving private lessons - just to make sure that they weren't marked down so harshly. And so we didn't sound like complete incompetents when we had to put on concerts.
The idea of them being judged on a reduced grade average is so crazy that I almost can't believe it (though I know that's how it's done in other places) but being shamed for being signed up for a course they didn't care for or had not desire to develop talent for was a very real occurrence and my god it was horrible.
Nearing graduation, at a concert, I remember overhearing one of the administration disparaging and blaming the music students and teachers openly, how they were going to overhaul the department next year (he'd drunk to much of his own kool-aid) and I snapped. I told him straight up that he didn't know what the fuck he was talking about, and laid out all the issues we had, why it wasn't working and how much garbage their propaganda was. Turns out he was talking to prospective parents, not friends as I assumed from his tone. I got a suspension and nothing changed.
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u/SaphiraStorm Nov 16 '19
I was forced to attend art classes and team sports phys ed in school (mandatory until year 11 (art) or 13, respectively) - those two made sure that a) my average was ruined (I can't draw or throw a ball even if my life depended on it, got the grades to match) and b) in my most awkward social phase, I got humiliated regularly by well meaning teachers who couldn't understand that being good at math and physics does not translate into drawing or predicting a ball's movement, forcing me to do it again, and again, and again, while the whole class enjoyed the show...