A delicate balance: a study of the professional lives of piano faculty in higher education

American Music Teacher, August-Sept, 2003 by Lynn Rice-See

Many historical figures, such as Franz Liszt, discontinued life on the concert platform while teaching occupied much of their attention. Amy Fay, in her delightful memoir, Music Study in Germany, speaks of her near-worship of Deppe, who was, in fact, a conductor, not a performing pianist, but had studied "nearly every set of Etudes under the sun ... as well as concertos and pieces by all the great composers, fingered and marked with pencil in the most minute way. It was enough simply to turn the leaves, to see what a study he must have made of everything he gave his scholars. (4) Many in the current profession follow this model and consider their own performance subsidiary to their role as teachers. Of the group surveyed, 12 percent consider themselves teachers who perform occasionally and 1 percent teachers who perform occasionally or never. A professor in the South finds, "The more energy that I devote to teaching, and the more I give of myself in lessons and other teaching, the less I have left for my own performing. In contrast, in years when I have performed more than usual, my teaching seemed to be less than my best. I have temporarily resolved this by learning new solo repertoire only during the summer, and only learning one new solo program per year. I have seen teachers who are performers first, and squeeze in teaching because they have to, and their students suffer. There are those who can do it all, and I certainly admire that, but I am not in that select group. My goal is never to give less than my best to my students, even if that means my own performing has to be compromised."

Some found it impossible to choose: "I am frustrated. In thirty-eight years of teaching I have never solved teaching and performing. I love both passionately and tend to give myself 100 percent to whatever I am doing. However, when devoting myself wholeheartedly to my students and their needs, I have a nagging yearning in the back of my mind to be practicing. But when I am devoting large blocks of time to practice and preparation for an upcoming recital or tour, I feel guilty about 'cheating' the students of all that I could give them. Life would be so much easier if performing did not bring me so much fulfillment."

Who Were Their Mentors?

How do these respondents see their mentors, their major piano professors in undergraduate and graduate school? What percentage see themselves as following in the paths of these role models? Eighteen percent see their mentors as performers first, teachers second; 65 percent see their mentors as teachers who regularly perform; and 13 percent consider their mentors as teachers who occasionally, seldom or never perform in public. Of those who see their mentors as pianists first, teachers second, 35 percent see themselves as following in that model. Seventy-six percent of respondents who see their mentors as teachers for whom performance is vital follow in that tradition. When the mentors were infrequent performers, 66 percent consider themselves similarly.