Questions

Are you aware of how many questions you ask during a lesson?  What kind of questions are they?

Too often in a music lesson we tell.  We tell the students when they’ve made a mistake.  We tell them what the key signature is.  We tell them how a particular passage or rhythm goes.  A music lesson can become quite a passive experience.

But what if we asked more questions?  What if we required our students to think a little deeper about their musical experiences?  What if we made them a little more responsible for their own learning?

There are two types of questions we can ask: closed and open.

Closed questions are those that are either right or wrong.  Questions that can be answered with a yes or a no. 

“What is the key signature?”

“What does allegro mean”?

“Where do the dynamics shift to mezzo piano”?

These questions are good because they require knowledge.  You can gauge instantly whether or not the student has that information.

Open questions lead to more questions.  They require interpretation, thinking and reflection.

“What is the mood of this section”?

“Does that bowing work?”

“What would happen if you took a breath here?”

These questions need your student to work a little harder and put more responsibility on to them.

Have a think about the questions you ask. Do you ask questions? How can you better utilise questioning in your lessons?

(See what I did there?)

Caring for Instruments

One of the first things you need to teach you students isn’t about the dots on the page or where their fingers go.  It’s how to look after their instrument.

I tell students that musical instruments are taonga, treasures.  And I start this from the very youngest students – when we are playing on buckets!  If you treat an instrument well, it will treat you well.

Patience: Your Teaching Super Power

Some superheroes have x-ray vision.  Some have invisibility.  Others, telepathy, teleportation or even time-travel.  But there’s another superpower we tend to forget about.  As a music teacher, your superpower is patience.  

And, luckily, no matter how hard your students try to diminish it, it’s a power that never expires.

School Assessments

If you are teaching high school students, chances are they will be doing some kind of assessment for their music class.  In New Zealand, even if senior students aren’t taking music as a subject, they are still able (depending on school policy) to gain NCEA credits for solo and group performance.

As their teacher, you need to find out a few things:

• ·         When is the performance (date and time)?
• ·         What pieces do they need to play?
• ·         Do they need accompaniment? (and do they need to provide their own or will the school provide one?)
• ·         What criteria are they being assessed on?

If the student doesn’t know this information, email or call their school music teacher.  They’ll have it in writing.

With your student, work out an appropriate rehearsal schedule, using the criteria to guide what you focus on.  Yes, this is what teachers refer to as “teaching to the test”, but your student is being tested on these criteria.  You have myriad other opportunities to work on other aspects of their music education.

If your student needs an accompanist, and it’s not you, make sure they have ample opportunity to practice with them.

Reliability

Be on time.

If you say you’re going to do something, do it.

Don’t call in sick every second week.

Don’t double-book yourself.

If you are not reliable, no-one is going to hire to you to be a teacher.  No-one is going to hire you for gigs.

Setting Expectations

Your students will do what you expect them to do.

If you expect them to be noisy and disruptive, then they will do just that.  Even without you giving them permission.

If you expect them to be well-behaved and to listen respectfully, they will.