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Independent Music Teacher Forum As
September approaches, teachers can use the end of summer to take a
fresh look at their curriculum and adjust their lesson plans for fall.
In an effort to highlight some of these issues, we are looking for
several teachers who would be willing to participate in a discussion
touching on several teaching topics which will be presented in the
upcoming newsletter. If you would be interested in participating in
this email discussion, please contact Maura Hall at etudes4@verizon.net In this issue, we are addressing the question: How important is it to you/any teacher to maintain your skills as an active performer? Immersion
in music — teaching, studying, listening, discussing, performance —
brings joy to my life. I have never really questioned the complimentary
aspects of performance and teaching, and I feel fortunate that I have
been able to spend most of my life in academic environments that
fostered those connections. Perhaps because the only classical music I
knew while growing up was what I played, I have always felt the need to
keep improving, to keep learning more music. I find that for me, as for
our students, performance goals can prod learning and improvement. Sharing great music through public performance can be an intense, exhilarating and humbling experience. Performance
preparation requires thorough study and understanding of the music,
technical facility, and control of the tonal capacities of the piano. A
disciplined practice routine along with a vivid musical imagination is
essential. The actual moment of performance requires focus, courage,
and trust in one's preparation. Involvement in music performance can
help us understand the musical, technical and mental training that our
students need in order to develop into accomplished musicians capable
of confident, meaningful musical performances. Playing solo piano
recitals will not, of course, guarantee successful performance by our
students. It may (or may not) give them an incentive to believe what we
tell them and to practice. Actually,
it is the pathway to music performance that I find most satisfying,
energizing and relevant for successful teaching. Through practice —
which I like to define as spending time with the music—I experiment and
find new ways of approaching the music, of understanding how we use our
bodies to play the piano and produce an enriched array of tonal colors.
I ponder why the composer chose the given notes instead of others. What
is he/she communicating with this crescendo, what is the musical
motivation for this accelerando? How can I communicate the composer's
intentions to listeners? All of this I can immediately share with my
students as we work together on their repertoire. It
is important, I believe, that we, as piano teachers, maintain
sufficient pianistic skills to demonstrate musical works for our
students and to help them with successful practice and learning
strategies. This does not mean we have to play solo piano recitals. We
can rekindle our joy of sharing and making music through playing duets
with other teachers, with our students. We can accompany friends who sing or play other instruments. We can participate in community and church music ensembles. We can utilize our local NYSMTA organizations as venues for collaborative musical opportunities, both formal and informal. Most important is that we continue to grow as musicians and maintain our vital love of music. In
one of my most successful pedagogical endeavors, I helped a rather
insecure pianist and teacher orchestrate a successful final solo piano
recital and begin composing. As she earned community respect as a
composer, her teaching became more confident and her piano students
began to play more securely. She still teaches, composes
and devotes an hour or two each day to reading through piano
repertoire. Clearly we do not all need to perform in public. We do need to maintain our love of music and our students. — Beverly Smoker, District 12 Chair | ||
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