Motivational strategies: hearing three sides of the story - Pedagogy Saturday VII

American Music Teacher, Oct-Nov, 2003 by Bruce Berr, Rebecca Shockley, Patricia J. Flowers

VIDEO #2

The second tape showed a coaching session with a chamber ensemble: a string quartet of eighth-graders who rehearse weekly. This was only their second session together. In the room at the same time was a chamber music pedagogy class of high school-aged students, so two diverse age groups were being taught concurrently. The teacher was Debbie Price, who is the artistic director of Chamber Music Connection, Inc., a nonprofit school in suburban Columbus, Ohio, and a very active performing violist.

The segment shows a first reading of the fourth movement of Haydn's Op. 74, No. 3, "The Rider." Debbie focuses the players On rhythm and ensemble issues, as well as involving the pedagogy class in the coaching. The first seven minutes of the tape are the coaching, and the final two minutes show the quartet putting it all together in performance mode.

Pat Flowers's Notes:

Good teacher eye contact, smiles, focus. Teacher questions students, encouraging critical thinking and self-evaluation. Subdivision is solution to problem in this case. "Look at problem-solving sheet in your notebook."--it isn't a guessing game. The students have prior knowledge that is written down and referred to.

Teacher reinforces their correct responses by repetition (validation).

Teacher has a playful but challenging demeanor, friendly and supportive. Good correction technique--watch each others' bows, they should all be moving together. Needs clearer cut off.

Teacher solves a problem they don't know they have--lower stands to see each other.

Good team feeling. Cooperative spirit among players, string pedagogy students and teacher. They're working toward a common goal, not against one another.

Teaching for independence. Count while you play for yourselves. Clear instructions. Counting aloud helps us to know if they understand (not just if they can play it)--a good teaching tool.

Teacher conducts with baton, hands and body, very expressive conducting that is reflected in the performance even though pitch isn't perfect.

Bruce Berr's Notes:

The teacher is very demanding of the behaviors of the students, but kind and playful toward the students as people.

Provides solutions to problems, or evokes them--uses guidance teaching.

Use of humor. The teacher is having fun, implicitly communicating that she wants to be there with the students. Very positive feel. "Carbonated" rehearsal/coaching session. Fun but on-task and focused.

Great use of body language and facial expressions, during teaching and conducting. (They're not such different activities!)

Supportive hut demanding.

Alternates between hard work and joking around--great pacing. Has fun with her own mistakes.

Skillful handling of these two age groups, simultaneously!

Importance of pre-counting (showed up in the first tape with Jimmy also).

Notice the time of day! Late Friday afternoon (The sun is already down.), yet all these students were highly involved in the session.

Rebecca Shockley's Notes:

The questionnaire responses by these students, their parents and their teacher reveal many of the motivational forces at work that make learning such a joyful experience in the video. Debbie Price, the coach, views chamber music itself as inherently motivating for many students because of the social interaction that is an integral part of the music making. She believes she motivates her students by encouraging them to be creative in their approach to learning, communicating her own love and enthusiasm for chamber music and emphasizing the importance of each member's contribution--musically, technically and emotionally--to the success of the team. In addition, mentor ensembles comprised of older, more experienced students are an important part of her program. The mentor ensembles model not only a high level of skill, but the enjoyment of working and performing together, which is very motivating for the younger students. Price also recognizes the important role of parents who enroll their children in this program, transport them to rehearsals (or host the rehearsals) and remind them, at least occasionally, to practice. She notes that the parents themselves often are learning to enjoy the sounds of chamber music as much as their children.