Examining Your Own Musical Education

Your own music education.

In order to be an effective teacher, you need to look back before you can look forwards.  It’s helpful to examine your own musical background to determine how it affects your outlook on teaching.  Everything that you’ve experienced contributes to your attitude to teaching.  You have a unique set of experiences that you can draw on in order to become a teacher.  Most of your own history you have experienced as a learner and you haven’t thought about them through the lens of teaching.

Have a think about the following.  It might be handy to get a notebook to record your answers.

The beginning.

When did you begin learning music?  Who old were you?  Did you want to learn music or did you parents make you?  Do you think the fact that you did/did not have a say shape your attitude to lessons?

Did you learn music in a group?  Or were you on your own?  Did you like this?  Did you rather it was the other way around?  What were the advantages to learning the way you did?  Were there disadvantages?

Your teachers

How many music teachers have you had?  Is there one who sticks out in your mind?  Why? What did they do that was effective?  In hindsight, was there anything that was not effective?  Could they have done something better, or differently?  How did your teacher make you feel at your lessons?

Venue

Where did you learn?  What kind of space did you learn in?  Was it a dedicated music space?  Or what it used for other things? Did this affect how you learned (positively or negatively)?

Lesson content

What did you learn during your lessons? Just how to play your instrument? Technique? Theory? Aural? Eurhythmics?  Music history?  What do you feel you missed out on?  What helped you?

Other musical opportunities

Where else did you have an opportunity to play music?  Did you belong to any orchestras/bands/choirs or other ensembles?  Did you get to play at church or school?  What did these other opportunities teach you that you couldn’t have learned at your regular lessons?  Did you go to concerts (as an audience member)? What did you learn from these concerts/performances? Was it a positive experience?  Did your teacher encourage you to go to these concerts?

I realise there are a lot of questions here, but a quick review of your own music history will help you to see where you’re going with your teaching.

Have I missed out anything?  What other musical experiences have shaped your music history?