A Lesson Learnt. Delving Into The World Of Music Tutoring With Zahar Hazim

FIRDAUS MUTALIB: What made you interested in venturing into the music industry and becoming a tutor?

ZAHAR: I’ve always been interested in music and I get to explore the world of industrial music as an instructor. My passion for music started in primary school, when I entered high school my confidence in playing the drums improved, and I became a professional drummer. After graduating from high school, I studied for a Diploma in Music. From then on, I began to teach since I met so many outstanding musicians and observed how they practised and understood the music. These are my motivations for teaching and for instructing my students.

FIRDAUS MUTALIB: How difficult is it to get a musical certificate? And what are some of the requirements that you need to get one? 

ZAHAR: The qualifications for obtaining one are passion, commitment, and practice the concept of work smart rather than work hard. The difficulty of obtaining a musical certificate is totally dependent on you. It is not simple to achieve all you want in the world. You must challenge yourself and find out what you are interested in. I graduated with my Diploma in Music after three and a half years of study. I can and You can. However, you may also take the Rockschool Grade Exam, the Yamaha Grade Exam, and other exams. 

FIRDAUS MUTALIB: As we all know, the world is not the same anymore due to COVID-19, so how are you coping with transitioning into the endemic period? And would you mind sharing with us a little bit of your experience teaching students via video calls during the pandemic period?

ZAHAR: During COVID-19, it was hard for me as an instructor because things were different before and after the pandemic. Before the pandemic, it was easier for my students to understand how teaching was done but after the pandemic, it’s more important for them to know how the instrument works than how to play it. Teaching students through video is very challenging for me because not all of them have the right equipment to set up virtual classes but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t create a virtual class. It is possible to have virtual classes, but students and teachers need to be able to understand what is going on. Skype is my favourite way to teach my students in a virtual class.

FIRDAUS MUTALIB: Due to COVID-19, is it possible that there is a decrease in students in your opinion since people might still have a fear of sitting down for a one-on-one tutoring session and whatnot?

ZAHAR: Because of COVID-19, many students and teachers are still cautious about teaching face-to-face. Learning to play an instrument is the most sensitive to COVID-19 infection. Observing the one metre rule is tough because not many studios have huge areas. Secondly, in order to get students used to always sanitising it was difficult to get students to get used to always sanitising and donning masks, particularly younger students (those aged seven and under).

In my opinion, everyone needs to play a role, especially the teachers, parents, and students themselves. Constantly having equipment and hands-on sanitising, wearing masks and using their own equipment (like bringing their own drumsticks, for example) are just some of the ways to avoid the COVID-19 infection.