What's in the Box?

What this episode covers

Have you ever had a student confess to you that they are just not creative? That they have never been able to create something unique themselves? Today Neil provides you with an exercise to exhort that creativity from each of your students. Encourage your students’ imagination by asking them to imagine what is in the fictitious box, and encourage their creativity to evolve.   KEY TAKEAWAYS It is no wonder that governments are such big fans of education. When you impose conformity and suppress new ideas, you have to inevitably kill imagination and murder the idea of play. When the right way to do something is dogmatically enforced and non-compliance is punished, it is no wonder that children shut themselves down to avoid negative consequences. This is what schools do to kids.   Time after time students may tell you that they are not the creative type. Encourage your students to make mistakes so that they can get rid of the sounds that they don’t want and the ideas they don’t use. Start them very broad and narrow down their creativity.   What’s in the box is a technique that came from Standford University. Ask your student to close their eyes and pretend you are handing them a small box with a lid on it. There is always something in the box. Ask the student to open the box and tell you what is inside? What they find in the box is the preferred subject of a song, story or poem which they have just created out of thin air.   They have created the seed of an idea based on the position that there is something in the box at all times. Often they are reluctant to say what is in the box but you can always encourage them. Ask them ‘what colour is it?’ , ‘tell me more about it?’ or ‘where did it come from?’. Soften the questions by telling them that what they are telling you is really interesting to you.   The more physical attributes that the student can conjure up such as weight, colour, smell and texture then the more vivid the thing in the box becomes. Your job is to help your students play with the contents of the box and throw ideas backwards and forwards until the student is capable of looking after the process all by themselves.     BEST MOMENTS “They weren’t creative, they were compliant.” “That’s not bad for someone who isn’t creative, is it?” “I’ve lost count of the number of students who have discovered something in the box.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Listen to The Tutor Podcast on the Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tutor-podcast/id1369191372)! Build Your Online Course Week 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-online-course/id1369191372?i=1000477109724 Course Planning Week 2: Who Am I?: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/build-your-online-course/id1369191372?i=1000477109724 Who are They? (Know Your Punters): https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/who-are-they-know-your-punters/id1369191372?i=1000478984529 Read the Weird Things Guitarists Do book by Neil Cowmeadow, which is available now on Amazon. Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weird-Things-Guitarists-Do-Misconceptions/dp/1519026579/ Contact Neil via this website - com! ABOUT THE HOST Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS! CONTACT METHOD [email protected]

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