The Hungry Music Professor’s
Overly Ambitious Lesson Plan
I’ll serve my class a banquet for the ear:
hors d’oeuvres by Mozart first, light and piquant,
washed down with steins of Haydn’s hearty beer
or Beethoven’s wild whiskey—all they want!
The meaty entrée—Mahler—will need carving;
I’ll sharpen up their wits and help them start.
Their ears and hearts may very well be starving—
but will they take the nourishment of art?
And then, most challenging, can I subvert
that urge great meals inspire in us all?
That is, can I serve Chopin for dessert
before they answer naptime’s tempting call?
The menu may not win my students’ praise—
but if it does, they may become gourmets.