ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

I realize that I learned English through music. For this I have my dad to thank for his constant playing classic rock after work: Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Queen, James Taylor, and Neil Young. I grew up wanting to distance myself from such rock, choosing to listen to my own line of music, you know, the typical highschool fare: Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, Bright Eyes, and The Blood Brothers. Despite the distance I tried to achieve from my environment I was still responding in the language of my surroundings. This upbringing provides a lesson in pedagogy: Youth is a time of being guided indirectly, influenced by our surroundings. Was my father a teacher in this childhood of music? I don’t think he was conscious of his working on my imagination—but what if he was? To teach is not to inform, but to introduce; not to impose, but to invite; not to manufacture, but to cultivate; not to insert, but to inspire. In the context of musical participation, perhaps my dad was at least always at eacher.

Which brings me to a current muse: Takagi Risa, the name might be familiar to some of us. She is the soulful songwriter in the Takamatsu shotengai with the achingly subdued voicce that breaks through a yoddel to a halfnote up or lower, who hits high pitches without going falsetto, equipped with a bassy middle range. She can be found beside Starbucks once the sun sets and stores close, and she should be found there, singing and listened to. For years she has been traveling the local circuit, collaborating with fellow sojourners of the musical night. In fact, she will be having a concert on the 28th in the local area. I see her when I can, because she has a beautiful voice and she takes time out to talk a little, despite the language barrier separating the two of us. If you are ever passing through the shotengai, keep an ear out and you will start to listen to what I hear: a love for learning about others and showing what care can look and sound like. Just the sheer presence of her character is enough for me to stay focused on my acquisition of the Japanese language.