Senior finds enjoyment in tutoring clarinet

When senior Alice He received an email from music teacher Jonathan Pwu about the chance to tutor middle school clarinet students last year, she immediately lept at the opportunity. She had prior experience teaching younger children the instrument, and she enjoyed it so much that she wanted the opportunity to do it again.

Currently, He meets with her student, Redwood Middle School seventh grader Marisa Kingsley, once a week on Sundays. Each lesson lasts 45 minutes and He helps Kingsley with the  music that the Redwood band is playing.

“She usually needs help with rhythm, so we often take some time for her to write out the counts, clap them and then we play,” He said.

He herself first learned how to play the clarinet when she attended a Redwood Middle School summer camp during the summer before sixth grade.

“I really like playing music, as it's like a mind relief and allows me to forget everything and just enjoy it,” He said.

For He, the enjoyment of teaching clarinet comes from the rewarding experience of seeing her student improve. He has been teaching her student for almost a full year.

Through teaching clarinet to less experienced players, she has found that tutoring has benefited her as a musician.

“It made me realize that I'm still learning too and that there's so much that I can learn about my music abilities and my teaching abilities from tutoring clarinet,” He said.

In the future, He is unsure whether she will be able to continue to teach in college because she isn’t sure whether she has enough experience, but for now, she is enjoying the work.

“It doesn't take a lot of time so it’s really nice to give back to the community that gave me the opportunity to learn music,” He said.