Summer
2003, Vol. 14 #2
Summer
- a time to reflect
I find summer - particularly
mid-June when I've just completed another school year of teaching
- an excellent time to reflect on the studio happenings of the
past season. What went well? What didn't? And what needs to be
done in order ensure that the coming year will be the best one
yet?
One thing that is often a concern for many of us is student dropouts. Of course, a student sometimes discontinues lessons at our suggestion. And sometimes we are not at all surprised by a drop, having recognized for some time that that particular student was simply not making enough progress to be able to enjoy successful music-making. (However, whenever this happens, I always find myself wondering if there wasn't something that could have been done to "save" this student.) Once in a while, a good student who is excelling decides to discontinue lessons (always a surprise!); and sometimes we are shocked (and saddened) to find out that one of our most promising students has decided to transfer to a different teacher! For whatever reason, the loss of any student should give us pause for thought.
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Apropos of dropouts, statistics continue to indicate that a high percentage (nearly two-thirds) of all students who begin piano lessons discontinue study by the end of the second year. This is particularly troubling since few students can acquire enough of a foundation in just two years to be able to return to the piano in the future and play for their own enjoyment. Is it possible that one of the principle causes of this high dropout rate may be that many students never seem to get "beyond the notes" with their pieces - they rarely get to the "good stuff," that is, music-making? Although they may have learned the "words" of the musical language and can "spell" them correctly at the instrument, they remain essentially musically illiterate because they do not embrace the language of music as their own and are therefore unable to use it as a means of personal communication. Sadly, this situation rarely provides adequate incentives for continuing on with "music" lessons.
The relationship of standards and musical literacy
What
are some of the things which produce musical literacy ? Reflecting
on this over the years, I have concluded that standards
play an enormous role in its acquisition. What kinds of standards
do our students have for a musical performance? Pursuing this
issue in terms of just one area dynamics, for example
do their performances succeed in projecting a wide range of contrasts
or does everything they play tend to sound pretty much the same,
regardless of the composer's dynamic suggestions indicated in
the score? Surely any student who can hear the differences
between f, p, crescendo and diminuendo
can learn to produce them. The ability to use dynamics as
one effective means of musically communicating is certainly not
a skill to be acquired by only the gifted!
Another element of musicality is phrasing. What kinds of standards do our students have for phrasing? How successful are they in determining and then conveying at the instrument, phrase lengths and shapes, along with the musical goals within phrases? Are they learning to ascertain where the music needs to breathe, and is this also apparent when they perform? And do they know how to artistically shape phrase endings? Most importantly, are all of these things becoming a natural part of their expression of the musical language? Surely learning how to deal effectively with phrasing is another important part of becoming musically literate, and it is also something ALL students can learn to do not just the "talented."
Still another question we might ask when assessing our teaching is what kinds of standards our students have for dealing with things such as voicing, and balancing melodies and accompaniments? Do they recognize when and where a melody occurs, and are they successful in balancing it with an accompaniment?
Students who approach performance with clear-cut standards for things such as dynamics, phrasing, voicing, and balance have, even before they begin to play, an inner aural expectation, e.g., a plan for how each piece should sound, and this, of course, is what they communicate when they perform. Along with having standards for the "should-sound" of a piece, another very important acquisition is the habit of listening to and evaluating one's performance. "Did my playing match my plan? Did I hear what I expected to hear?"
Practice habits
Besides the need for musical standards in performance, another important ingredient for a student's success is practice habits, i.e., having specific ways to work with each musical element in practice in order for it to become part of the expressive content of a performance. Here again, as we reflect back on our own students' musical achievements during this past year, it is well to ask ourselves how successful they have been in assimilating ways to work at home in order to incorporate the necessary elements of musicality into their performances. And equally important, do their practice strategies enable them to achieve maximum results in a minimum amount of time so that the "good stuff" can be experienced before they lose interest in a piece?
The imagination
Perhaps the most important question of all has to do with a student's imagination. Is it being adequately stimulated by exploring what each piece is about (a "Trumpeter and an Echo" "Chimes" a "Murmuring Brook" a "First Loss" a "Clown", and later on, a nocturne, an invention, a prelude, a fugue, a sonata, etc.)? It's the imagination, coupled with the performer's understanding of what he/she sees on the page that evolves into a musically rewarding experience - both for the performer and for those who hear the performance. My end-of-the-year evaluation of this past season's teaching certainly focuses on the extent to which my students' imaginations are being engaged as they explore each new piece and then practice it in order to be able to play it to their own satisfaction.
Finale
One of my most important pedagogical
goals each year is to be able to affirm that more and more of
each student's lesson time is being spent making music
rather than making corrections. In the last analysis,
experiencing the pleasure of music-making may very well be the
thing that makes the difference between a student's desire to
discontinue lessons and his/her eagerness to continue on with
music study. My goal for each of my own students in the 2003-04
year of lessons is that they may make ever greater strides in
music-making and musicality so that they can continue to explore,
experience and enjoy what I believe to be the most powerful motivator
of all - the wonderful journey beyond the notes!
About Our Cover Picture
The photograph on
this issue's cover appears courtesy of Leah Missbach.
To see a larger image of our cover art, please visit our Art Gallery.
MULTIMEDIA ARTICLE
The
current issue has no new multimedia articles.
However, we have assembled a new page of quick links
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A FEATURE FOR NON-SUBSCRIBERS:
Click on any of the questions below to read highlights from the articles in the print magazine
These are the other articles that were in the Summer 2003 issue
Information on obtaining back issues
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The Magic Triangle: |
Barbara Kreader |
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The Other Teacher: |
What have you learned about how to practice?- an end-of-the-year student survey |
Emily Morlan |
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Independence Day: |
Kathy Anzis |
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Let's Get Physical: |
What "away-from-the-piano" practice techniques do you use for young students? |
Neil Rutman |
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The Heart of the Matter: |
Helen S. Chao-Casano |
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Issues and Ideas: |
How do early childhood music programs prepare students for formal music lessons? |
Kenneth Guilmartin |
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It's Never Too Late: |
How can the Internet and websites assist the adult piano student? |
Tom Stampfli |
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Putting It All Together: |
Jennifer Lim |
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Tomorrow Today: |
How do you use music technology for ensemble practice and performance? |
Susan W. Flinn |
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The World Around
Us: |
Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield |
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