Working for a more musical tomorrow

American Music Teacher, August-Sept, 2005 by Gail Berenson, Scott McBride Smith

Between the two of us, we went to a lot of graduation ceremonies last spring. Students, children of friends, a teenage nephew ... even a 5-year old godson put on cap and gown to progress from pre-school to kindergarten. And, we heard a lot of quotations about the future. Not so many from the kindergarteners, actually--they were too busy rushing the cookie table to offer much in the way of philosophy and vision.

Quotes and more quotes. "The future is yours for the taking" was a favorite. Proust, T.S. Eliot, Ambrose Bierce, friends and relatives of the speakers--they all had a lot of ideas about the world to come, from what we heard. Even the spirit of Doris Day was invoked, from a hit song of the 1950s Que Sera, Sera:

   "Whatever will be will be.
   The future's not ours to see."

Editing this series of articles on Essential Skills has us both looking into our crystal balls, too. No matter what Doris sings, we believe we can see a bright future, and we know teachers can do something to bring it about. What shape would musical life in our country take if every student in the United States had access to top-quality music instruction and assessment? obtained the proper teaching to develop a pain-free technique? developed a strong foundation of music literacy? learned the inner and outer skills (we borrowed this term from William Westney's marvelous article in the June/July 2005 AMT) for a lifetime of joyful, creative music making?

Do you believe this could happen?

Our answer is "yes." We believe the time ahead begins now, in the studios of each and every MTNA member. It starts with a personal commitment: to be the best and offer the best of which you and your students are capable. How to do it? Look around your own local teacher group and study those who seem most successful--and fulfilled in their success. Happy, flourishing teachers have worked hard to develop their skills. But they never rest on their laurels. They seek new experiences. They never stop learning or cultivating people from whom to learn. They ask lots of questions: to deepen understanding, challenge outdated beliefs and formulate new ideas. They are not afraid to take a stand, admit a problem or seek new methods. And they are willing to share themselves with others.

Does that description fit you? If you're hesitating, perhaps it's time to take a personal inventory and check what areas of your professional life need a little tender loving care or some spit and polish. Here are some suggestions to develop your own essential skills.

* DEVELOP YOUR OWN LEARNING ABILITIES

No one can absorb everything they need for a successful music-teaching career while still in school. The ever-changing world we live in makes this impossible. And not every skill we acquire has to come from an institute of learning. Both of us have worked with legendary performers and teachers who do not have graduate degrees. There are more than a few who didn't graduate from college at all, and a not-insignificant number who had no high school diploma. It is their skills and their insight, their ability to work hard, their willingness to take risks and their passion for their art that make them legends--not a piece of paper.

This is not to denigrate fine academic programs or minimize the importance of college degrees. We each have several! But there is an important point here about the pursuit of excellence: it's open to everyone. Both of us travel extensively in service of music (Scott logged 150,000 flight-miles last year in the U.S. alone; Gall a mere 40,000!) and, frankly, we get tired of hearing teachers tell us "Oh, I (or my students) could never do that." Why not? "I wasn't a music major; I didn't graduate from college; I don't have the training in this area; I (or my students) are too busy; there isn't enough lesson time; my students don't practice enough; we've had too many budget cuts; our community (or my school administrators) don't support music ..." It's a long list.

One of the essential skills of success is to learn to view yourself as someone who can gain the expertise to overcome these often real problems. We live in a world in which information and training is often just a mouse-click away. Your students don't work hard enough? Buy a book or go to a seminar on motivation. Learn how to establish goals and involve yourself in programs that provide student recognition. You don't have the training to teach a certain skill? Get some! Study with a local artist-teacher or attend a workshop. Not sure how to let the public know what you can offer? Read books on marketing and get involved in community organizations, such as a church, the Rotary Club or Kiwanis.

You will never rise above your own lack of knowledge. And you can't gain that wisdom and those essential skills if you don't think of yourself as someone who can learn and overcome--in an academic setting or out of one.

* REACH OUT TO THOSE OUTSIDE YOUR OWN GROUP

No one is really sure, but we think there are 400,000-500,000 piano teachers in our country, and a comparable proportion of instructors of voice and other instruments. How many of them belong to a professional organization? MTNA has about 24,000 members.