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Emotional Abuse by Teacher

I’ve been at my university for 6 years now, on my last semester finally. I study voice and have recently come to the sickening realization that my voice professor has been controlling and cruel to the point of emotional abuse. For context for the coming information, I’m a brown PR man and she is an older white woman. From telling me that “While I am the most talented student she’s ever had, I am also the worst student she has ever had”, to discouraging me from becoming a pediatrician to study voice saying “I don’t think your brain was meant for math and science”. When COVID was at its peak, I would wear a mask around my arm so I wouldn’t forget it anywhere and she asked if the “black band on my arm was for Black Lives Matter”. She assumed that the best way to teach me would be to tell instructions at me and proceeded to do this in front of the studio while I was singing and, noticing that the other students were uncomfortable and shocked upon witnessing this, explained it away saying that “this is just how he learns”. I have my senior recital on Monday, in two days, and while I have had occasional dress rehearsals, she refused to give me any lessons for the last year. Consequentially, my use of proper technique has diminished and she harshly criticized me for it yesterday during the last dress rehearsal. So many other things have happened like this, but I’m very ready to be done, to have my voice be my own again in two days.
Try approaching the best students and ask to arrange coaching sessions with them.

I'm pretty sure you could find excellent lessons free online - something that targets your specific needs with precision and subtlety.

I would suggest that after you've graduated, you might make an appointment to see her and discuss the issue.
Prepare yourself in advance, so you go in there feeling calm and factual, not angry or like a victim.
Bare in mind that she thinks you the most talented student she's ever had. That's a huge compliment.
Then ask her what she means by saying you've been her worst student.
Ask her what the specific traits of an excellent student are.

Give her constructive feedback on what worked well and what didn't about her teaching style.
If her instructions don't work for you, why? Did you not understand them? Were they too generalised? Was she using metaphors rather than musical terminology?
Do you have a problem with memory? Might you have done better by taking written notes or recording the lessons?

You could ask her why she thinks your brain was not meant for math or science.
She's made a huge assumption, and I can't see how a music teacher could possibly know that - unless she had some backdoor access to your past educational records.
In general, most people who are musical can also do well in maths and science.
It could be that her comment was manipulative - trying to hold on the most talented student she's ever had. If you succeeded in a musical career, part of the glory would reflect back on her.

Explain the concept of micro-racism to her. She may be completely unaware that her comment on the black covid mask around your arm was racist.
Many whites don't understand that if a person hears many casual micro racisms everyday it can have a cumulative effect (unless you've learned to let it run off like water off oil).

The important thing for you is to consider what you want in life.
The path of a pediatrician takes at least nine years of study and training. The hours for a new doctor in a hospital are long and gruelling. They shouldn't be, because all that sleep deprivation for doctors is disastrous for their patients.
But it's well paid, satisfying to help kids recover, and later on allows you many more choices in hobbies, lifestyle or family. You could always keep you hand in with music as a way to destress.

On the other hand, if you're extremely talented and willing to develop study skills and put in the long hours of practice (average 10 hrs per day for 10 years to reach international standard), you could become a brilliant professional musician. Unless you became a top artists, you'd never earn much, and you'd probably have many broken love affairs (due to the stress of travelling to perform). But you'd have a wonderful life being steeped in music, creativity and the joys of playing with other musicians.

Regardless of what you choose here, stick with what you feel is right for you. Trust yourself.
Even if one path turns out to be a mistake, one can always choose another.
Either way, you get richly fulfilling personal experience.
I think you should continue to work toward your own goals and not take her advice.

If she asks about the mask again, ask HER, "Don't you think ALL lives matter?"
Teirdalin · 31-35
She's racist
InvictusIndigo · 22-25, M
@Teirdalin I think it’s hard to see this as a reality because I’m still in it, but I don’t doubt you. I don’t have any proof to report her, so what do you think I should do?
Teirdalin · 31-35
@InvictusIndigo Kinda just gotta deal with it I think, people like her exist and it sucks. But don't let what she says get you down. A recording pen might be a good idea to have on you though.

 
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