“I’d heard that he was a good teacher. No wonder they call him the Maestro. I’d always thought it was a joke, something to do with his temperament.”
Is Eduard Keller a good teacher?
Peter Goldsworthy’s novel “Maestro” depicts Keller in many ways as a good teacher, but one who has several frailties. Keller’s flaws are his overwhelming sense of arrogance and rudeness as well as his authoritarian and judgmental nature. Nonetheless, his positive attributes as a teacher mask these weaknesses. He is indeed a good teacher because he teaches Paul the requirements to be a great pianist and also teaches him about life in general while possessing deep care and affection for Paul.
Keller’s sense of arrogance and his judgmental nature are his greatest weaknesses as a teacher. In Paul’s first few lessons with Keller, he is not allowed to play the piano. His explanation is that “I have heard hands like these before. I know how they sound.” The reason he says this could perhaps be because he wants Paul to start from a blank slate and reach a level of skill before he would allow himself to listen. However, regardless of the fundamental reasoning, the tone and the manner in which he makes the comment is judgmental and rude. Furthermore, at Paul’s party, when Paul plays a piece for which he is awarded an “A plus”, Keller labels it an “excellent forgery”. Although his underlying intentions could be appropriate, his attitude and the manner in which he ‘educates’ Paul is arrogant and inappropriate. Throughout the novel, he very rarely encourages or motivates Paul, which makes him, in those aspects, a flawed teacher. Hence, the facts that Keller is arrogant and judgmental are negative aspects of his otherwise wonderful teaching.
The protagonist’s, Paul’s, successes as a pianist are largely due to Keller teaching him self criticism, which makes him a good teacher. Paul’s parents and girlfriend regard Paul as a musical prodigy. However, Keller does not believe this and feels that Paul has much room to improve. When Paul achieves outstanding results in his exam, his parents applaud him and call him a “wonderful talent”. Keller, on other hand, emphasises that “Exams are a technical hurdle only” and believes “The boy (Paul) is too given to self-satisfaction. The self-satisfied go no further.” This shows that Keller wants Paul to become the best he can be and he also wants Paul to be aware of his limitations. Only after Keller’s death does Paul actually realise the impact Keller has had on him. He recalls that Keller has taught him a level of “self-criticism that would never allow me to forget my limits”. Keller, hence, teaches Paul that the only way of improving is by striving for better, and, if failure is the results, something vital must be learned from the failure.
Eduard Keller also educates Paul on life and is pivotal in Paul maturing as a person. Initially, Paul has more interest in superficial aspects of life. This is evident from the fact that he, at the initial stages, is attracted to Megan and is disgusted by Rosie. Paul’s description of his “love” for Megan shows his level of immaturity: “furred nape of her neck…thick cumulus of pale hair.” His immaturity is highlighted when he justifies his disinterest in Rosie because her “voice seemed insistent, high-pitched, like an insect.” However, later on he chooses Rosie over Megan, and ultimately marries Rosie. This is perhaps because of Keller’s advice about music. Keller advises Paul that “beauty simplifies” and warns him not to trust beauty. Paul’s rejection of Megan and acceptance of Rosie could have been an indirect result of Keller’s words of wisdom. Moreover, Keller allows Paul to borrow his textbook which supposedly represents the apparent chaos in the world. Keller later on says “If only at your age I had such textbooks”. This shows that Keller wants Paul to understand the world and realise that the world is not as wonderful and peaceful as Paul might think. His intentions make him a good teacher. As such, Keller does teach Paul about life.
In addition to all the lessons Keller teaches Paul, he also deeply loves him. The first sign of Keller’s affection for Paul becomes apparent when he sends him a first signed edition of the “Opus 599 studies”. This is symbolic of his love for Paul. During Paul’s last visit to Keller’s residence before he leaves for Adelaide and university, Keller admits his affection for Paul. He says, “my affection for you…I have been hard on you because of that. A father’s hardness.” This also shows that he thinks of Paul as his own son. Thus, Keller loves and cares for his pupil, Paul, enormously.
All in all, Keller is in numerous ways a good teacher to Paul as he teaches him self-criticism and makes him realise his true capabilities and limitations. Furthermore, he educates Paul about life and possesses a great deal of affection and care for him. Despite Keller’s arrogant and judgmental nature, he is overall a good teacher as his positive attributes more than compensate for his minor flaws.
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