Sometimes kids will really surprise you. I went into rehearsal yesterday morning thinking that it would be really crappy. About 20 kids had approached me before class had begun and complained of being sick and therefore wanted permission to not play. So, I started out class saying that from now on, everyone who is sick to the point where they can't play, needs to bring a doctors note from home or go to the clinic. Otherwise, they need to play in class and be awake during my rehearsal.
Having somewhat of a heart (because I'm usually just a bitch about things like this) I told them that if they needed to leave and splash cold water on their face or jsut sit out for a few minutes because they needed a break, I would understand. Well lo and behold, they didn't complain at all! They just basically snapped right to attention, got into the music, had fun with me. We kind of laughed about all of the sniffing, coughing, and gagging going on in the ensemble. Only one of my three tuba players was in class (and tuba being an instrument that requires a ton of air) and he carried his part like a champ! Sure, he coughed and gasped for air whenever he got done playing a section of music, but he had a huge smile on his face because he was doing such a great job on his own.
I can't decide if I was being insensitive or if I handled the situation correctly but I think that they learned a lesson that in the real world if you're sick and you go to work, you are still going to be required to work hard and focus on the task at hand.
Having somewhat of a heart (because I'm usually just a bitch about things like this) I told them that if they needed to leave and splash cold water on their face or jsut sit out for a few minutes because they needed a break, I would understand. Well lo and behold, they didn't complain at all! They just basically snapped right to attention, got into the music, had fun with me. We kind of laughed about all of the sniffing, coughing, and gagging going on in the ensemble. Only one of my three tuba players was in class (and tuba being an instrument that requires a ton of air) and he carried his part like a champ! Sure, he coughed and gasped for air whenever he got done playing a section of music, but he had a huge smile on his face because he was doing such a great job on his own.
I can't decide if I was being insensitive or if I handled the situation correctly but I think that they learned a lesson that in the real world if you're sick and you go to work, you are still going to be required to work hard and focus on the task at hand.
