awwwwwwh you poor thing. Don't worry petal I was teased at school as well for doing it. There just jealous because they haven't got the talent you have.
I bet they wouldn't be able to pick up an instrument and play it like you can. Please don't ever give up for them, when your winning awards and playing in sessions passing your skills and tunes on to others and entertaining people thats a special thing that none of these self centred pigs can do themselves.
If it gets really bad please tell someone and talk it through with them, if you want to talk to someone about it then you can email me. Im a 19 year old girl who plays the concertina, (despite what my profile says)I live in Manchester and will send you a few tunes and stuff.
I hope your ok. Try not to let them get to you and THEY DON'T HATE YOU THEY HATE THE FACT THAT YOUR TALENTED.
Be strong and confident. You are doing something unique that they probably do not understand. If you are shy or try to hide it, then they will take advantage of that. If you are confident and enjoy yourself, then they will just see you as a fun person.
By the same token, don't be arrogant and put their musical tastes down. Meet people half way. Everyone has different tastes in music. Allow them theirs, and perhaps they will allow you yours.
i agree with jode, dont try to act like irish music is better than every other type of music! haha, though it is higher quality than most of the pop crap out there, but that doesnt mean its better. people listen to insipid music cuz they dont want to think, and thats fine. it takes a different type of thinking that has to be developed to listen to jazz, irish trad, classical, and especially indian classical (hindustani / karnatic) and other eastern traditions. just think. imagine if those jerks played irish music! it would be so annoying, haha.
i dont have the same problem. most people at my school love when i play the whistle. but there is always the loud, vocal few that dont like it. its best to ignore them. if you play AT school then sometimes you might have to stop out of respect for them, and sometimes they're gonna have to let you play out of respect for you.
and if they're making fun of you for playing it outside of school, who cares. it doesnt matter. you're playing it for yourself, not them.
I know what you mean...I'm a 17 year old girl and I tend to have the same problem. All my friends, (or not friends)just don't understand the importance of trad music. I play all sorts of old time fiddle music, Irish being my VERY FAVORITE. I grew up with it. most kids just don't understand that traditional folk music is the base for all music...where do you think Bach and Mozart got all their ideas? You guessed it! most of it is straight from trad folk music. Its the soul of all music! Everything comes down to it, you and me and everyon that plays this stuff...were just playing the origional stuff, the best stuff there is. This was passed down to us and we'll pass it down for generations to come... hang in there, we know where the real soul is. ;)
It's school. Students make life hard on each other for any reason. If it weren't trad music, it would be the wrong friends, wrong religion, wrong sexual orientation, wrong neighbourhood of residence, poverty, wealth, race, whatever. It might seem like the one specific thing, but really students just have a hard time dealing with differences. Give it time - university will be a lot more rewarding.
Thanx everyone, most people are jealous but I'm working on starting a trad group at school for people like me. I totally agree with that quote Caraaz. I am proud to be in the "trad minority" We all know that trad is great so why listen to them?
I guess I was lucky. When I was a teenager, trad music (Irish, old timey, bluegrass, etc.)was making a comeback. I don't recall ever being put down for playing it. But it probably helped that I also played rock guitar in a band for jr. high and high school dances.
Still, while I sympathize with snowyowl, I'd also caution against reading too much into what you think other people are thinking. Especially putting strong words like "hate" into their mouths. Some schoolmates may indeed tease you for playing trad, and some may even be cruel about it, but most kids reserve genuine hate and loathing for their teachers and parents.
On the bright side, this peer pressure thing is largely a rite of passage--most people out grow it in the process of becoming full-fledged human beans. In a few years, you'll discover it no longer matters at all what your class mates thought of you or your music. Meanwhile, hang in there and enjoy your talents.
Good point Jode, I don't talk much at school but still manage to scare the life out of everyone because I am not scared of them. Will as always you are a font of wisdom. Most of my classmates are not even half fledged human beings
id just like to echo what other people in here have said. having just finished school (on yr out) i know you will always get the ones who will dislke you, as flathand said, for any reason they can. i used to play fiddle with a melodeon player at my school, who just happened to be my history teacher. i got the few digs about 'fiddling' with middle-aged men, but they were all in good humour and i rose above them. none of them were nasty, but rise above it. if they affect you, then theyve won half the battle.
also, at the end of term concert i thrashed out man of the house/cooleys/lads of laois, totally against the grain of what the eve was percieved to be (lots of modern/classical pieces) and got some good comments bk, from quarters i wudnt have expected. it just goes to show- persevere, and ul come out on top!
hello this is dannys daughter, Roisin im 13.i think its really mean that ppl hate u 4 just being urself.Me and my friends are a bit different from every1 else at school and sometimes they take the piss. but we just try and forget about it.the ppl hu h8 u r really dumb, try not 2 take ne notice of them!
from Roisin x
When I began listening to, and then seriously playing, traditional music, I was fortunate enough to be at a school whose students had very diverse tastes. So someone who liked jigs, reels and old ballads was hardly a pariah. I also had a circle of friends outside of school who were similarly interested in many different kinds of music.
My 17-year-old has a somewhat different dilemma. She has plenty of friends through her morris and rapper-sword dancing activities who like the folk/trad. stuff, so she's certainly at ease there. But then there are her other circles of friends and acquaintances, at school or through her extracurricular, NON-music/dance activities, who aren't necessarily as open to the folk/trad. material.
Thus, she sometimes frets about how well it would work to gather friends from these different circles: Would they have anything in common? Would it be awkward? I suppose this would be as true if she had "soccer" or "ballet" friends rather than "folk" friends.
Still, she does get somewhat of a kick out of bringing her folkie CDs along when she goes to visit a school friend, and seeing what kind of reaction they have.
Don't let this music rule your life. If you concentrate on any one thing to the detrement of a social life, then you probably are a bit wiered. And (and this is important) you'll end up a better player if you don't spend too much time at it. We are not talking complicated music here, it's not crazy classical stuff that you have to practice for houres every day. Lighten up and you'll play betterr
Well, there ye go Snowy, from my girl..I didn't even know Roisin had written that till now. I had just mentioned your thread to her, not knowing she'd log on here while big bad dad was out at a session. I hope that helps you, somehow.
And other thing that is great about trad music...how many people who were trained in classical music sit around with their friends in a pub playing Mozart? Or even people who grew up playing rock and roll? Do they ever play electric guitars with friends in the garage now that they are grown-ups? Trad music is something that you will enjoy for life, and keep playing with groups of friends even if you're not a professional. Possible exception: high school marching band. I just went to a Northwestern University football game and I noticed a large group of "NUMB Alums" playing the alma mater at the end of the game, along with the official band.
It's not that it *never* happens, MaryMary - there are lots of amateur chamber music societies around and most of my circle of acquaintances regularly play chamber music for thweir own enjoyment in family or friendship gatherings, in regular social recorder and viol consorts and yes, some even play electric guitar in the garage. With trad, though, these gatherings can be more spontaneous, firstly by the nature of the music and secondly because you don't need all the embuggerances like amps, sheet music, stands and all the other etcetera, impedimanta and entanglamenta that goes with other types of music.
My classical violin teacher thinks Irish music is just diddly diddly and quaint. Full Stop. But I don't let it bother me, because he hasn't been exposed to any trad, except through me. I think it can be an aquired tast.
You're DIFFERENT, Snowyowl and many youngsters find that hard to handle. It's hard being YOU and being different. I think the main thing is that you're the same (probably) in all other respects. Do they know that you like the some the things they like and join in with them with those things. It's also easy to be a bit 'stuck up' if you do something different to your peer group. I know, 'cos I was like that at school.
Try and join in maybe and be more one of the crowd occasionally.
I do admire you for sticking to your love of trad! DON'T give it up. The world needs you.
Oh don't worry, I've faced/am facing a similar situation, aparantly it seems to be common, you're not "cool" if you don't go with everyone else! Just play what you want, as long as your happy.
A friend of mine once said (not to my face), that he'd like to tread on my hands. I took this as a great compliment. He's still a friend.
Eleanor (snowyowl), you sound fairly confident in yourself already. We all doubt ourselves from time to time. But as Michael says, don't take the music, or yourself, or your classmates too seriously. If things do get to you, let the music be a remedy, not the culprit.
ah. no wonder there hasn't been much new forums lately. People are still contributing to this.
Well, my view is, don't take the advice of the people on here who have said, "ooh don't look down on those people," and other mushy things like that. Look down on them. They are subhumans, ants on a burning log to you, not worth saving. There is more difference between you and them, then there is between them and chimpanzees.
The next time you meet some people like that, bear what i've said here in mind. Don't say it, just keep it in mind. People tend to pick up on that, and react accordingly. They will treat you as their superior once you make yourself felt as their superior.
Good luck!
Look, she posts in about these knuckle-heads with a *healthy* American over-developed sense of normality, who get that annoying funny look on their face any time somebody is playing some music that's not on MTV, or whatever it is, and what kind of suggestions do people make?
OH, listen to some rap with them. Oh, show that that you're actually very similar in other ways. Oh, fit in a little bit more, then they won't make fun of you. Baaaaaaaaaah! Nonsense! My suggestion is, find some people who are worthy of your company. The rest can drop dead.
Jim, this link might help, http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/3388/comments#comment67207
"Tanya" disappeared from the membership over a year ago, but is still remembered, sometimes fondly, by many. The jury is still out as to whether "Tanya" was a real person or an invention thought up by one or more members. I expect someone, somewhere, knows the truth, but they're not telling.
Trevor
Ha. I get hated at sessions for NOT playing trad. I often try to insert a new tune into a session ... one that hasn't been played at least 15 times before. I get quizzical looks from some of the older participants as if to say: "WHat? That's not in the song book you hippy!"
you can try and use logic behind some arguements, like pointing how simple the music they like is, but often that doesnt matter...
i never copped too much shit back in high school, but when i did, simply turned it around to make them look like wankers
(the argument about heritige, culture and that doesnt work in high school)
Being hated for playing trad
Being hated for playing trad
Everyone at school hates me for playing trad (except my 1 friend) Does anyone have any advice on what to do about it?
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by snowyowl
Re: Being hated for playing trad
awwwwwwh you poor thing. Don't worry petal I was teased at school as well for doing it. There just jealous because they haven't got the talent you have.
I bet they wouldn't be able to pick up an instrument and play it like you can. Please don't ever give up for them, when your winning awards and playing in sessions passing your skills and tunes on to others and entertaining people thats a special thing that none of these self centred pigs can do themselves.
If it gets really bad please tell someone and talk it through with them, if you want to talk to someone about it then you can email me. Im a 19 year old girl who plays the concertina, (despite what my profile says)I live in Manchester and will send you a few tunes and stuff.
I hope your ok. Try not to let them get to you and THEY DON'T HATE YOU THEY HATE THE FACT THAT YOUR TALENTED.
GOOD LUCK
SAM ;)
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by whysthat
Re: Being hated for playing trad
You're in there snowy !
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by BegF
Re: Being hated for playing trad
immature
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by whysthat
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Be strong and confident. You are doing something unique that they probably do not understand. If you are shy or try to hide it, then they will take advantage of that. If you are confident and enjoy yourself, then they will just see you as a fun person.
By the same token, don't be arrogant and put their musical tastes down. Meet people half way. Everyone has different tastes in music. Allow them theirs, and perhaps they will allow you yours.
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by Jode
Re: Being hated for playing trad
And keep logging on here for support. *Most* (but not all) of the folks here look out for each other, cos we're all a "minority". So keep posting.
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Being hated for playing trad
i agree with jode, dont try to act like irish music is better than every other type of music! haha, though it is higher quality than most of the pop crap out there, but that doesnt mean its better. people listen to insipid music cuz they dont want to think, and thats fine. it takes a different type of thinking that has to be developed to listen to jazz, irish trad, classical, and especially indian classical (hindustani / karnatic) and other eastern traditions. just think. imagine if those jerks played irish music! it would be so annoying, haha.
i dont have the same problem. most people at my school love when i play the whistle. but there is always the loud, vocal few that dont like it. its best to ignore them. if you play AT school then sometimes you might have to stop out of respect for them, and sometimes they're gonna have to let you play out of respect for you.
and if they're making fun of you for playing it outside of school, who cares. it doesnt matter. you're playing it for yourself, not them.
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by daiv
Re: Being hated for playing trad
I know what you mean...I'm a 17 year old girl and I tend to have the same problem. All my friends, (or not friends)just don't understand the importance of trad music. I play all sorts of old time fiddle music, Irish being my VERY FAVORITE. I grew up with it. most kids just don't understand that traditional folk music is the base for all music...where do you think Bach and Mozart got all their ideas? You guessed it! most of it is straight from trad folk music. Its the soul of all music! Everything comes down to it, you and me and everyon that plays this stuff...were just playing the origional stuff, the best stuff there is. This was passed down to us and we'll pass it down for generations to come... hang in there, we know where the real soul is. ;)
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by countrygirl
Re: Being hated for playing trad
This is a quote from a Rory McLeod song
"I'd rather be hated for something I am that loved for what I'm not"
Be yerself!!!
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by Caraaz
Re: Being hated for playing trad
I would love to be hated for playing TRAD; playing it well that is. If anyone hates me now, it would be for playing it poorly!!
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by Chaddock
Re: Being hated for playing trad
It's school. Students make life hard on each other for any reason. If it weren't trad music, it would be the wrong friends, wrong religion, wrong sexual orientation, wrong neighbourhood of residence, poverty, wealth, race, whatever. It might seem like the one specific thing, but really students just have a hard time dealing with differences. Give it time - university will be a lot more rewarding.
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by reenactor
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Thanx everyone, most people are jealous but I'm working on starting a trad group at school for people like me. I totally agree with that quote Caraaz. I am proud to be in the "trad minority" We all know that trad is great so why listen to them?
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by snowyowl
Re: Being hated for playing trad
I guess I was lucky. When I was a teenager, trad music (Irish, old timey, bluegrass, etc.)was making a comeback. I don't recall ever being put down for playing it. But it probably helped that I also played rock guitar in a band for jr. high and high school dances.
Still, while I sympathize with snowyowl, I'd also caution against reading too much into what you think other people are thinking. Especially putting strong words like "hate" into their mouths. Some schoolmates may indeed tease you for playing trad, and some may even be cruel about it, but most kids reserve genuine hate and loathing for their teachers and parents.
On the bright side, this peer pressure thing is largely a rite of passage--most people out grow it in the process of becoming full-fledged human beans. In a few years, you'll discover it no longer matters at all what your class mates thought of you or your music. Meanwhile, hang in there and enjoy your talents.
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Gee, while I was typing away, everyone got in ahead of me and stole all my ideas.
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Good point Jode, I don't talk much at school but still manage to scare the life out of everyone because I am not scared of them. Will as always you are a font of wisdom. Most of my classmates are not even half fledged human beings
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by snowyowl
Re: Being hated for playing trad
id just like to echo what other people in here have said. having just finished school (on yr out) i know you will always get the ones who will dislke you, as flathand said, for any reason they can. i used to play fiddle with a melodeon player at my school, who just happened to be my history teacher. i got the few digs about 'fiddling' with middle-aged men, but they were all in good humour and i rose above them. none of them were nasty, but rise above it. if they affect you, then theyve won half the battle.
also, at the end of term concert i thrashed out man of the house/cooleys/lads of laois, totally against the grain of what the eve was percieved to be (lots of modern/classical pieces) and got some good comments bk, from quarters i wudnt have expected. it just goes to show- persevere, and ul come out on top!
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by aaron b
Re: Being hated for playing trad
hello this is dannys daughter, Roisin im 13.i think its really mean that ppl hate u 4 just being urself.Me and my friends are a bit different from every1 else at school and sometimes they take the piss. but we just try and forget about it.the ppl hu h8 u r really dumb, try not 2 take ne notice of them!
from Roisin x
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Being hated for playing trad
When I began listening to, and then seriously playing, traditional music, I was fortunate enough to be at a school whose students had very diverse tastes. So someone who liked jigs, reels and old ballads was hardly a pariah. I also had a circle of friends outside of school who were similarly interested in many different kinds of music.
My 17-year-old has a somewhat different dilemma. She has plenty of friends through her morris and rapper-sword dancing activities who like the folk/trad. stuff, so she's certainly at ease there. But then there are her other circles of friends and acquaintances, at school or through her extracurricular, NON-music/dance activities, who aren't necessarily as open to the folk/trad. material.
Thus, she sometimes frets about how well it would work to gather friends from these different circles: Would they have anything in common? Would it be awkward? I suppose this would be as true if she had "soccer" or "ballet" friends rather than "folk" friends.
Still, she does get somewhat of a kick out of bringing her folkie CDs along when she goes to visit a school friend, and seeing what kind of reaction they have.
# Posted on November 11th 2004 by sts
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Don't let this music rule your life. If you concentrate on any one thing to the detrement of a social life, then you probably are a bit wiered. And (and this is important) you'll end up a better player if you don't spend too much time at it. We are not talking complicated music here, it's not crazy classical stuff that you have to practice for houres every day. Lighten up and you'll play betterr
# Posted on November 12th 2004 by llig leahcim
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Well, there ye go Snowy, from my girl..I didn't even know Roisin had written that till now. I had just mentioned your thread to her, not knowing she'd log on here while big bad dad was out at a session. I hope that helps you, somehow.
# Posted on November 12th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Being hated for playing trad
And other thing that is great about trad music...how many people who were trained in classical music sit around with their friends in a pub playing Mozart? Or even people who grew up playing rock and roll? Do they ever play electric guitars with friends in the garage now that they are grown-ups? Trad music is something that you will enjoy for life, and keep playing with groups of friends even if you're not a professional. Possible exception: high school marching band. I just went to a Northwestern University football game and I noticed a large group of "NUMB Alums" playing the alma mater at the end of the game, along with the official band.
# Posted on November 12th 2004 by MC2
Re: Being hated for playing trad
It's not that it *never* happens, MaryMary - there are lots of amateur chamber music societies around and most of my circle of acquaintances regularly play chamber music for thweir own enjoyment in family or friendship gatherings, in regular social recorder and viol consorts and yes, some even play electric guitar in the garage. With trad, though, these gatherings can be more spontaneous, firstly by the nature of the music and secondly because you don't need all the embuggerances like amps, sheet music, stands and all the other etcetera, impedimanta and entanglamenta that goes with other types of music.
# Posted on November 12th 2004 by Tish
Re: Being hated for playing trad
My classical violin teacher thinks Irish music is just diddly diddly and quaint. Full Stop. But I don't let it bother me, because he hasn't been exposed to any trad, except through me. I think it can be an aquired tast.
Athena
# Posted on November 12th 2004 by act
Re: Being hated for playing trad
You're DIFFERENT, Snowyowl and many youngsters find that hard to handle. It's hard being YOU and being different. I think the main thing is that you're the same (probably) in all other respects. Do they know that you like the some the things they like and join in with them with those things. It's also easy to be a bit 'stuck up' if you do something different to your peer group. I know, 'cos I was like that at school.
Try and join in maybe and be more one of the crowd occasionally.
I do admire you for sticking to your love of trad! DON'T give it up. The world needs you.
Sue
# Posted on November 12th 2004 by Susie-Lee
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Oh don't worry, I've faced/am facing a similar situation, aparantly it seems to be common, you're not "cool" if you don't go with everyone else! Just play what you want, as long as your happy.
Cheers,
Armand
# Posted on November 12th 2004 by armandale
Re: Being hated for playing trad
A friend of mine once said (not to my face), that he'd like to tread on my hands. I took this as a great compliment. He's still a friend.
Eleanor (snowyowl), you sound fairly confident in yourself already. We all doubt ourselves from time to time. But as Michael says, don't take the music, or yourself, or your classmates too seriously. If things do get to you, let the music be a remedy, not the culprit.
Roisin, I like the 'economical' spelling!
# Posted on November 12th 2004 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Hmmm..I wish she was more economical in other areas...costs me a bliddy fortune....
:~}
# Posted on November 13th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Being hated for playing trad
ah. no wonder there hasn't been much new forums lately. People are still contributing to this.
Well, my view is, don't take the advice of the people on here who have said, "ooh don't look down on those people," and other mushy things like that. Look down on them. They are subhumans, ants on a burning log to you, not worth saving. There is more difference between you and them, then there is between them and chimpanzees.
The next time you meet some people like that, bear what i've said here in mind. Don't say it, just keep it in mind. People tend to pick up on that, and react accordingly. They will treat you as their superior once you make yourself felt as their superior.
Good luck!
# Posted on November 13th 2004 by m_gavin
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Tanya's baaaaaack!
:- |
# Posted on November 13th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Being hated for playing trad
...or even worse, by the look of it..
# Posted on November 13th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Look, she posts in about these knuckle-heads with a *healthy* American over-developed sense of normality, who get that annoying funny look on their face any time somebody is playing some music that's not on MTV, or whatever it is, and what kind of suggestions do people make?
OH, listen to some rap with them. Oh, show that that you're actually very similar in other ways. Oh, fit in a little bit more, then they won't make fun of you. Baaaaaaaaaah! Nonsense! My suggestion is, find some people who are worthy of your company. The rest can drop dead.
# Posted on November 13th 2004 by m_gavin
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Jim, this link might help,
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/3388/comments#comment67207
"Tanya" disappeared from the membership over a year ago, but is still remembered, sometimes fondly, by many. The jury is still out as to whether "Tanya" was a real person or an invention thought up by one or more members. I expect someone, somewhere, knows the truth, but they're not telling.
Trevor
# Posted on November 13th 2004 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Being hated for playing trad
Ha. I get hated at sessions for NOT playing trad. I often try to insert a new tune into a session ... one that hasn't been played at least 15 times before. I get quizzical looks from some of the older participants as if to say: "WHat? That's not in the song book you hippy!"
# Posted on November 15th 2004 by MrD
Re: Being hated for playing trad
simply tell 'em to get stuffed
like all others have said above, its petty
you can try and use logic behind some arguements, like pointing how simple the music they like is, but often that doesnt matter...
i never copped too much shit back in high school, but when i did, simply turned it around to make them look like wankers
(the argument about heritige, culture and that doesnt work in high school)
# Posted on November 15th 2004 by jimmyoats