Inside the private lesson - how to be a successful music teacher

American Music Teacher, April-May, 2002 by Paul Buyer

While the private lesson often is considered the focal point of instrumental music programs, it remains flexible and ambiguous in terms of curriculum and instructional approaches. One constant has always been the relationship between teacher and student, which parallels that of player and coach. Students often decide what school to attend and who they want to "play for," or study with, based on this relationship. Although many teaching philosophies exist in the applied studio, most seasoned professionals agree experience is the key to becoming an effective teacher, and the cumulative influence of our mentors is what forms our own personal teaching style.

Helping future music educators develop an effective approach to teaching private lessons is imperative. What are the tricks of the trade? How do we know what buttons to push, and what is our job during that weekly hour of one-on-one instruction?

Nine key areas--trust, goals, lesson assignments, practicing, lesson pacing, experiential learning, triple-channel learning, pushing the right buttons and the big picture--are integral to a successful applied music program.

Trust

"If a leader demonstrates genuine concern for others, competency and admirable character, people will follow."

--T. Richard Chase

The first step toward earning a student's trust is simply taking a genuine interest in the student as a person. Helping our students mature and develop in life, as well as in music, is one of our most challenging and important jobs as teachers. The private lesson provides an opportunity to go beyond music studies and serves as a safety net for many students.

Competency and character are indispensable teacher qualities and lay the foundation for trust over the long term. Competency determines how much confidence students have in their teachers' abilities. The greater the competency, the greater the trust, and the more it will grow. Character determines how much confidence students have in their teacher as a person. The stronger the character, the stronger the leadership, and the greater the trust.

We must keep in mind that each student is an individual, and developing trust may take longer with some students than with others. Trust also is earned by knowing when to talk and when to listen and through mutual respect.

Goals

Setting challenging, attainable goals is critical to a student's success in a music program. Many students will have this in hand when they begin lessons, while others will need swift guidance in goal setting, as well as in time management and organization. Goals should be written down and discussed with the teacher, then followed up. A "goal sheet," containing daily, weekly, short-term, mid-term and long-term goals, can help the student identify and assess specific goals.

Lesson Assignments

Lesson assignments reflect the student's weekly goals and always should be written down. This helps the teacher as well as the student remember and retain key concepts covered in the previous lesson. Inexperienced students often have difficulty knowing how and what to practice; therefore, the lesson assignment sheet should be as specific as possible regarding musical material to be covered, specific page numbers to be practiced, techniques, tempos and so on.

Practicing

Assessing how much a student has practiced for his or her lesson can be challenging. In most cases, the student's confidence level and the accomplishments of the lesson assignment will help provide accurate feedback for the teacher. After working with a student for a short time, it will become clear if he or she is putting in the necessary practice time. Some students may require very specific practice guidelines, such as setting a goal to practice a certain number of hours a day or documenting practice sessions in a practice log. Students who have not developed a strong work ethic for practicing may need to be graded on their lesson each week based on their preparation.

One of the most important aspects of the private lesson is teaching students how to practice. For example, it is critical that students develop the ability to practice slowly. Careful, focused and conscientious practice ultimately will yield the best results when learning a new piece or developing a new technique. Utilizing mirrors and audio/video recording also are strongly recommended, as well as setting specific goals for each practice session. This is extremely important for percussionists, who must organize their practice time to cover a variety of instruments.

Many students may need to be introduced to effective practice methods such as repetition, playing with a metronome, woodshedding and visualization. Additionally, teachers always should emphasize quality practice over quantity. Although nothing can replace the countless hours in the practice room, far too many students fail to develop a work ethic that yields a "performance" mentality. The practice room can be a very lonely place if one is not focused on accomplishing some serious work.