Daily Dialogue — June 4, 2016
Gertrude: Mr Holland?
Glenn Holland: You”re late. And you left your clarinet here the other day.
Gertrude: Yeah, um… if you know anyone who wants it… I’m giving up the clarinet. I’m just goofing everybody else up anyway. So, um… I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for trying.
Glenn Holland: Is it any fun?
Gertrude: I wanted it to be.
Glenn Holland: You know what we’ve been doing wrong? We’ve been playing the notes on the page.
Gertrude: Well, what else is there to play?
Glenn Holland: There’s a lot more to music than notes on a page. (puts on record) These guys, for example. Now… they can’t sing, and they have absolutely no harmonic sense, and they’re playing the same three chords over and over again. And I love it. Do you?
Gertrude: Yeah.
Glenn Holland: Yeah! Why?
Gertrude: I don’t know.
Glenn Holland: Yeah, you do.
Gertrude: Because it’s fun?
Glenn Holland: That’s right. Because playing music is supposed to be fun. It’s about… heart. It’s about feelings and… moving people and something beautiful and being alive, and it’s not about notes on a page! I could teach you notes on a page. I can’t teach you that other stuff. Do me a favor. Pick up your clarinet… and play with me. And this time… no music.
Gertrude: Oh, what…
Glenn Holland: Because you already know it. It’s in your head and your fingers and your heart. You just don’t trust yourself to know that.
Gertrude: OK.
Glenn Holland: Here we go. Ready? One, two, three, four…
They play and Gertrude messes up.
Glenn Holland: OK, let”s do it again. And not so much lip on the mouthpiece.
Gertrude: OK.
Glenn Holland: One, two, three, four…
She messes up again.
Glenn Holland: All right. No, no. Don’t do that. Let me ask you a question.
Gertrude: What?
Glenn Holland: When you look in the mirror… what do you like best about yourself?
Gertrude: My hair.
Glenn Holland: Why?
Gertrude: Well, my father always says that it reminds him of a sunset.
Glenn Holland: Play the sunset.
— Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995), written by Patrick Sheane Duncan
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Teacher.
Trivia: Composer Michael Kamen was so inspired by the story told in this film that he started a non-profit organization dedicated to providing musical instruments to underprivileged students.
Dialogue On Dialogue: Such a wonderful scene. As a teacher, any time you can help a student get in touch with their passion, it’s a beautiful and powerful thing.