Does pushing someone to the extreme elevate them to become better? The Hollywood movie Whiplash , which won three Academy Awards earlier this week, dwells on the subject of a jazz drummer trying to gain the approval of an abusive teacher and bandleader who pushes him to the edge and beyond. Based on real life experiences of the writer-director Damien Chazelle, the movie features a hard-core drum instructor J. K. Simmons roughing up student jazz drummer Miles Teller who strives on despite the abuse and violence inflicted on him to impress his teacher.
MetroPlus talks to Bengaluru’s jazz drummers and gets their take on the movie and its theme.
Wesley Newton from River Man Band strongly condemns the negativity in the movie. “I was thoroughly upset. I work a lot with children. Encouragement, love and support go a long way in pushing them forward and building them up. The drive to become better should come from the student and cannot be forced. Getting students to become perfectionists comes from encouragement. Helping them by creating a love for music should be the push. This is something that is very close to my heart. The student must love the subject. I haven’t stopped learning and for drummers like me who’ve come up the hard way, we are better driven by motivation than pressure. The people who taught us encouraged us and that is why we are here.”
Joe Jacob from Masala Coffee and Slain believes it works for some and doesn’t for others. “It’s completely up to the student. Getting coached by someone professional is always a big boost to the student and having someone mentor you is nice but it shouldn’t go to the extreme like in the movie. I must point out that being a fulltime musician demands a discipline and dedication. Being pushed is good but only to a limit. If your mentor is like Simmons, then I don’t think it will help. However, the movie is inspirational. If you want to be in the league, looking for inspiration and fine with being pushed, then go for it.” Willy Demoz from Peepal Tree says that pushing someone into something is useless unless there is talent. “Jazz is a whole different playing field. You have to live the life to really feel it. That’s what most drummers miss out. Different people approach it differently. If I was pushed, I don’t think I would go for it. When it comes to learning, it’s not so different from schooling. You can punish the child as much as you want but it doesn’t make him or her better. The right attitude to teaching and praise will help in the development of the student.”
Jared Sandhy from Final Surrender agrees. “In the movie it may be fine to go to the extreme. But in reality, a lot of students will give up. Most of them take to drumming since they are passionate about it. As fulltime drummers, we have our own challenges and ordeals to face, especially here in India, in coming up. I’d rather tackle those problems then add to the problems with an instructor roughing me up.”
James Prabhakar, drum instructor at Cherubim School of Music and a self-taught drummer feels otherwise. “Pressurising a drummer would help him or her strive to play better. The old adage ‘no pain, no gain’ holds true here too. The movie has good takeaways for drummers since it’s great to see a musician shedding sweat and blood just to bring a smile on his teacher’s face. But it’s just a movie. In reality, I think drummers will quit if they are put under so much pressure. The outcome of pushing students will be a joy at the end and they need to remain committed to their goal if they want to succeed.”
