Teaching unenthusiastic students

I’m one of the luckiest teachers in the world – I’m a keen musician and also the chemistry teacher at a fantastic specialist music school. I rarely teach more than 10 pupils at a time and behaviour is – at worst – significantly better than most schools I’ve ever been in. Having said that, most of my pupils have an affliction that all teachers I know struggle with in their classes, albeit for very different reasons: a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Angus – a violinist – has spent a lot of his time winning music competitions all over the world and playing concertos with several top flight orchestras.

Having spent most of his life working towards his ultimate dream, Angus (not his real name) is not interested in science. And, let’s be honest, he doesn’t need to be. He will almost certainly excel in his chosen career with or without a good grade at GCSE science.

But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be enthusiastic about science. Am I to blame for not sparking his interest? And, more importantly, how can I spark the interest of students whose focus is clearly elsewhere?