"Mr. Holland's Opus" Was His Students; Where's MY 'Opus'? myLot's 'Opus'?
@mythociate (21432)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
November 4, 2012 8:35pm CST
Watching Mr. Holland's Opus today (the first- or second time I've seen it since 1995, when it was the first movie I saw in the theater after my brain-injury), I See the Life I was planning to Have (Like a few of My high-school Friends Greg Hanna, Jacob Hofer and maybe some others).
It was a heavy tear-jerker (at least for me 
). You remember how it went (or if not, SPOILERS!!!): Mr. Holland was a failing musician who picked up a job teaching high-school Music Appreciation & Orchestra & Marching Band & Vocal Music & Drivers' Ed. to make ends meet.
Then his wife got pregnant (so he had to keep the job), then they found out his son was deaf. Things got complicated with the school, and he was never able to 'quit teaching' like he had planned to when he first started---"Just four years, then you can quit & come home to compose music."
Anyway--30 years later, when he was being laid off due to school budget-cuts--he was given a going-away presentation by several of the students whose lives he had touched (making them able to do big, important things), who called themselves (and all the other students of his) "Mr. Holland's Opus." And they had put together an orchestra to perform "The American Symphony" (music Mr. Holland had been working-on since before he was a teacher).
But thinking about it, the reason those students were in his 'Opus' was because they HAD to be! They HAD to be, at a very 'decision-making' time in their lives.
I'm not teaching music anywhere--I'm not really going out at all, except to go to 'church' & Bible-study & the Bank & the store, and sometimes to eat at a restaurant--so the only way I have an 'Opus' like Mr. Holland's is if myLot has such an Opus.
And the only way we're gonna do that is if we start appealing to the high-school audience (and yes, appeal ... talking about the hip pop kiddos `n such). So how can we better do that?
And--if you don't have any ideas on the 'high-school audience'--tell me how I might 'compose an Opus like Mr. Holland's.'
). You remember how it went (or if not, SPOILERS!!!): Mr. Holland was a failing musician who picked up a job teaching high-school Music Appreciation & Orchestra & Marching Band & Vocal Music & Drivers' Ed. to make ends meet.
Then his wife got pregnant (so he had to keep the job), then they found out his son was deaf. Things got complicated with the school, and he was never able to 'quit teaching' like he had planned to when he first started---"Just four years, then you can quit & come home to compose music."
Anyway--30 years later, when he was being laid off due to school budget-cuts--he was given a going-away presentation by several of the students whose lives he had touched (making them able to do big, important things), who called themselves (and all the other students of his) "Mr. Holland's Opus." And they had put together an orchestra to perform "The American Symphony" (music Mr. Holland had been working-on since before he was a teacher).
But thinking about it, the reason those students were in his 'Opus' was because they HAD to be! They HAD to be, at a very 'decision-making' time in their lives.
I'm not teaching music anywhere--I'm not really going out at all, except to go to 'church' & Bible-study & the Bank & the store, and sometimes to eat at a restaurant--so the only way I have an 'Opus' like Mr. Holland's is if myLot has such an Opus.
And the only way we're gonna do that is if we start appealing to the high-school audience (and yes, appeal ... talking about the hip pop kiddos `n such). So how can we better do that?
And--if you don't have any ideas on the 'high-school audience'--tell me how I might 'compose an Opus like Mr. Holland's.'2 responses
@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
26 Nov 12
Okay, I'll phrase it different: 'What are teenagers looking for online?'
@apoota888 (51)
• United Arab Emirates
6 Dec 12
It took me a while to respond to this discussion since I had to search for the meaning of Opus. I think it is musical compositions that is arranged according to the musician's date of creation or something like that. Unfortunately, I'm not a musician so I really can't respond to your question much. Sorry. You may try to use the Mylot search engine to help figure out how to compose an Opus like Mr. Holland's.
As for the film, didn't cry but I feel for the trials and tribulations he had along the way. It was tough juggling his family, career and for the love of his deaf son who in spite of him not being a hands-on dad, he was able to grow up loving his father which is a seldom thing nowadays and I find that very impressive.
