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?)

Teaching Methods - The Suzuki Method

The Suzuki Method of music education began in Japan through the concept of the “mother-tongue” approach.

Violinist Shinichi Suzuki began to apply the principles of language learning to music.  He recognised that when children began to learn their mother-tongue, they did so gradually, learning one new word at a time.  The adults in their lives would praise each new word, and gradually the child would be able to string more and more words together and intuitively understand the grammar of the language.  

Suzuki noticed that children learned by listening to the adults around them and only after they were able to speak did they learn to read and write.  He decided to apply this technique to learning the violin.

Suzuki method relies very heavily on parental involvement.  Suzuki-trained teachers talk about the triangle approach.  The child is the bottom line of triangle, supported equally on either side by the parents and the teacher.  Parents attend lessons with their children and they learn the violin too.  This way they are better equipped to help their child practice at home.

Children work through graded books. Everyone learns the same repertoire.  They have recordings of the music which they are encouraged to listen to everyday.  Children listen to all the pieces in their current book. This creates a familiarity with the music, so when they come to learn a particular piece, it is already known to them.

Initially the pieces are learned by rote and are memorised.  Once a child has reached a certain level, they go back through the previous books and learn to read the notation. 

Review is an important part of the Suzuki method.  Even if a child is up to say, Book 4, they will cycle through all the pieces from Book 1.  Often easy pieces, like the Twinkle Variations (a set of variations focussing on different violin techniques/rhythms, based on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) are used as technical exercises in more advanced repertoire.

Children typically have two lessons.  One is their private lesson and the other is a group lesson.  One to one lessons focus on the technique of the individual and group lessons focus on playing together as an ensemble.  Suzuki associations hold regular camps, where children participate in group lessons and also masterclasses – where one student has a one to one lesson with a teacher, but others can watch and learn.

The main goal of the Suzuki method is not strictly musical.  The inherent belief is that every child can learn, and that through music children can develop into loving members of society.  Suzuki teachers believe that musical ability can be developed in all children.

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.

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.

Teaching an instrument you don't play

Yesterday my phone rang.  On the line was the Musical Director of a local music school.  “What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?” he boomed down the phone.  My eyes narrowed.  I’d heard those words before and I knew to be wary.

“That depends,” I replied.  “Good,” he said, ignoring me.  “Can you take John’s guitar classes please.”

 And that is how I found myself teaching four guitar classes – from beginner to intermediate levels.

The First Lesson

This is one of my favourite moments in the teaching year – the very first lesson of a beginner student.

They turn up, all shiny and new.  And the instruments turn up all shiny and new.  This might be the first time you’ve met the student/s and the first time they’ve met you.  Greet them in a friendly manner, ask their name (even if you already know it) and tell them your name – it’s super important. 

The first lesson is where you start to get to know your students.  Ask some personal questions – what school do you go to is always a good one.  If you know another student or a teacher or have some other connection with that school, mention it.  It’s a good ice-breaker and it shows that not only are you interested in the student, but on some level your worlds intersect.

Ask them why they want to play music, or your instrument in particular. What are their goals?  Do they already have experience with music?  Explain that while you get to know what they can do or can’t do, you’ll be asking lots of questions.  You might explain things that they already know (and it’s ok for them to say that they know it) or you might not explain things you think they know but don’t (again, tell them it’s ok to ask for clarification).

Then it’s time to get down to business.  Hand out instruments, or if they already have it, have them open the case (and teach them how to open the case if it’s not obvious!).  I start by just looking at the flute.  I get the student to touch the keys and see which key moves which other keys. I talk about the different parts of the flute and we play a silly game to learn the names of the parts.

Every instrument is different and your approach to the beginning of lessons will be different for each instrument.  With the flute, certainly the first lesson is spent just using the headjoint getting a clear, consistent sound.  You will need to think carefully about your instrument, and how to best begin.

The first lesson is also a good time to talk about taking care of instruments and where to store them at home.

Make sure you assign some kind of homework on this lesson – they’ll be excited and want to show off what they learned.  Keep it easy and manageable, but do let them know your expectations.  I’ll tell kids they need to play their flute to everyone who comes to their house during the week – mum, Grandpa, the cat, even the plumber.  Lucky plumber…!

Teaching in Someone Else’s Space

You may have a gig teaching in a school or an after school programme, where you’re actually in another teacher’s classroom.

Setting up a studio - what gear do you need?

Your instrument.  That’s pretty helpful (although there have been occasions when my flute has had a little unintentional holiday…).  Really, it depends on what you’re teaching, what style of music you teach, and your style of teaching.