Adagio, Andante, Allegro, Moderato…whaaat?
Have you ever had moments when you feel like banging your head against the wall during a lesson with a student? Those moments seem to happen to me most often with musical terms and symbols.
I’m not shy to say there are times I’m screaming in my head, “Seriously, how many times have we used this term during lessons? It’s called a ‘staccato!'” While my more experienced and sensible teacher side calmly says“Ssssttttaaaa” trying to draw the word out of them with a verbal cue or gives them multiple choice.
When asked what “Andante” means, the student looks at you sideways, eyes squinting slightly in uncertainty as if they had just eaten a piece of sour candy, hands twisting, and mind whirling. “It means…it means like slow….or well, maybe fast?”
At this moment, my teacher conviction takes over, and I remember:
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