For anyone that loves music, especially genres like jazz and Hip Hop, there is little doubt that they are familiar with The Tribe. More specifically, they’re probably familiar with the lead performer for the group, Q-Tip. However, you might not be aware that he plans on teaching a course in music this fall at NYU. In reality, this has a lot of students excited. Some students that don’t normally take music courses are even clamoring to get in on the action, all so they have the opportunity to learn about music from someone that has demonstrated such a great amount of talent and ability over the years.
The opportunity presented itself when The Tribe decided they would release their last video as a group. This gave the group’s leader, Q-Tip, an opportunity to pursue some other interests. It turns out that he has always had an interest in teaching other people about music, yet he has not had the time or the opportunity to do that the way that he wanted to. Now, all of that has changed and he is just as excited about teaching the class as the students are about taking it.
The course itself is going to be about jazz and Hip-Hop. While the students will have the opportunity to learn about both of these genres on their own, the most important part of the class deals with the relationship between these two genres of music, namely how they can be blended together in order to create something that is truly unique. Admittedly, this is a class that almost anyone would love to take, whether they are a music major or not.
As far as Q-Tip himself is concerned, he is anxiously awaiting the start date for the class. When asked about teaching it, he said that one of the reasons he was so excited is because he has the opportunity to learn just as much from the students as they do from him. He’s going into the class with the attitude that it should be an exchange between students and teacher, with give-and-take involved in all aspects of the class. Almost anyone would agree that some of the best classes they have ever taken involve teachers with this type of mindset. Imagine what can happen when someone like Q-Tip, who has real world experience and the right attitude, starts teaching others about the very thing he is most passionate about.
This is important because most people seem to have one mindset or the other. Some of the best individuals in the classroom don’t have any real-world experience. As a result, there is only so much they can teach because they have never been in that environment themselves. By the same token, other people that have the experience don’t have the ability to pass that knowledge on to others effectively. It’s relatively rare that you find someone that is capable of doing both and doing it well. When a teacher like that does come along, the sky’s the limit as far as the students are concerned. It unlocks potential in them that allows them to do things they never thought they could do before. Who knows, if all goes well, this class could become a long-term engagement as opposed to being a one-off type of thing.
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