My violin teacher obviously had a profound effect on my young life and I think perhaps she deserves a proper introduction. Miss Heard had a reputation of being a fearsome old dragon and her pupils were scared of her. When I announced that I wanted to learn violin my big sister warned me what Miss Heard was like and suggested that I might be making a mistake. That wasn’t how to put me off, I was an obstinate little bugger at the best of times so despite everybody’s misgivings I turned up for my first lesson.
That was a painful 45 minutes and most of it was spent having my left arm wrenched into the proper playing position but undeterred I took my school issue violin home to torture my family with half an hour’s tentative scratching. Things progressed quickly after that and I was given an extra weekly lesson which didn’t make me too popular with the biology Mistress as it meant missing the first half of a double period. I was fortunate to have one real friend in first form who always saved me the lab stool next to him and lent me his notebook, I was under threat of pain at home if any of my marks fell.
Miss Heard drove me hard but never treated me harshly, when she told me off it was for not doing my best or making silly mistakes but not long after I acquired my own beautiful violin an incident occurred that completely undermined her reputation as a harridan.
I’d woken up feeling muzzy and with a blinding headache one morning and I must have looked pretty ropey because Mum said I should stay home. Any other day I’ve been back in bed before she finished speaking, I loathed that school with a passion, but not on violin day which was also orchestra day, so I lied and said I was OK which was serious, not the lie itself, although that could bring retribution, but the fact that I was ignoring illness. When I was young I didn’t just get colds and have a day or two off school I always developed something worse and ended up with a chest infection, I was supposed to be responsible and own up if I didn’t feel well.
By registration I felt terrible and wished I’d said something to the coach driver, he’d have taken me home on his way back to his garage but it was too late now. We weren’t on the phone at home and Dad was at work so I was stuck. I excused myself half way through the first period, ran to the toilet to be sick and then sat feeling very sorry for myself until the bell went and it was violin time.
As soon as I arrived Miss Heard put her hand on my forehead and then pushed 3 chairs together ordering me to lie down after which she took her big cape off its coat hook, put it over me as a blanket, took my glasses off and told me to sleep. When the end of period bell went I made to move and was sternly told to stay where I was. Her next pupil was ordered to play his best becasue he had an extra critic in the room and after his session he walked me to the nurse carrying my violin for me.
So I missed orchestra, got told off at home and ended up in bed for a week but my word she really was a horrible old dragon wasn’t she?
Love
cape? is that what witches wear?
gown? for going to balls in and for designating under-graduates, graduates et al – and sported by many school masters and mistresses
cape is also a type of (probably hallucinogenic) mushroom, isn’t it?
it’s also something which used to be written on most fruit
But who wants a sickly boy stuck in their room? Odd she just didn’t whisk you down to nursey. Perhaps she felt responsible for you in some way? Perhaps she knew more than you thought (about your parents / your bloody-minded obstinacy (!) et al?
Well, honestly! Most of us, given the slightest chance not to go to horrible school wouldn’t have gone for even the nicest lessons if we really were feeling ill. I used to feel ill just at the thought of it.
When something is the only good thing in your life nothing gets in the way. Her cape was quite amazing to see and witch isn’t far from it in appearance. I think she thrived on her reputation as a dragon because it frightened away those who didn’t have the determination she demanded. I suspect she did know a lot more about me than I ever realised and was very protective of her favourite pupil. A very special lady and an incredibly good violin teacher.