Teaching vs. coaching emphasis: on musicianship building vs. interpretation of repertoire

American Music Teacher, June-July, 2004 by Jackson Leung

There are certain fundamental differences between teaching and coaching. Teaching involves the instillation of musical and technical concepts into students, while coaching focuses primarily on the interpretation and performance of the pieces at hand. Teaching is a long-term process, emphasizing the development of several different areas relating to piano studies. They include physical aspects of piano playing, musicianship and interpretation, intellectual development relating to piano playing and practice habits, as well as peril, finance and psychological preparation. Coaching, on the other hand, can be either a long- or short-term experience. It also can occur sporadically since there is no long-range goal involved. The emphasis of coaching is on the diagnosis of technical problems and the study of" interpretive issues in specific works. It aims to heighten the process of critical listening and provide guidelines for interpretation options.

Physical Aspects of Piano Playing

One of the foremost responsibilities of a teacher is to lay a good technical foundation for students. This is not merely the teaching of rudiments such as scale and arpeggio fingerings, dominant and diminished seventh arpeggios, octaves and chords; it also should include the concept of sound, tone production, touch, pedaling, gestures and control. An effective teacher also demonstrates and advocates good posture at the keyboard, as well as emphasizing the awareness of body movements and tension. Tension in the arms, shoulders and body are common problems among young pianists that need to be detected, diagnosed and resolved early on.

Musicianship and Interpretation

Although this is a broad subject, it never is too early to introduce interpretation concepts to young piano students. In fact, the earlier it is incorporated into a student's learning, the more effective the results are in the long run. Students who are not exposed to interpretive issues in the early stages of development often have difficulty understanding these ideas later. Issues such as balance, voicing, shaping of phrases, rhythmic steadiness and accuracy, variety of articulation, planning of dynamic shadings and pacing of ritardandos and accelerandos, all need to be discussed in a young pianist's musical development. A thorough understanding of performance practice in different stylistic periods also is essential. Young students need to learn concepts relating to ornamentation in baroque music, articulation in classical music, tempo fluctuation and use of rubato in romantic music, as well as color and sonorities in contemporary music. The ability, to interpret pieces from different style periods allows students to have a wider spectrum of sound, texture, color and emotional projection in their playing.

Intellectual Development

To train students as complete musicians, teachers need to focus on their intellectual development in musical understanding. Some crucial areas pertaining to the development of" a student include formal structure, harmonic and intervallic relationships, performance directions and musical terms, musical genres and instruments, historical background and composers representative of different style periods. Teachers need to impart this knowledge to their students in the early stages of learning a new piece and may reinforce these concepts further in theory and musicianship classes.

On Practicing and Performance Preparation

It is imperative for younger students to build good practice habits early. The most effective way of practicing is consistent, conceptual and concentrated; one that focuses on details and is goal oriented. Students need to be aware not to merely go through mindless repetitions, but to strive fin. reinforcing concepts, strengthening memory or acquiring technical fluency with each repetition. Teachers also are responsible for helping students prepare for performances. Issues discussed should include critical listening, character projection, development of one's own style and ways to reinforce memory and minimize performance anxiety. Teachers also need to encourage students to get behind the notes and bring out the meaning and emotions in the music.

Psychological Preparation

A teacher-student relationship is one that is very special and long lasting. Not only do teachers impart musical knowledge to students, they have the responsibility of building them up psychologically as well. The great pianist Alfred Brendel puts it this way: "A teacher is a student's confidant, motivator and love-hate object." Teachers should work to build confidence in a student's musical pursuit, instill a positive attitude toward successes and failures, promote emotional maturity and provide motivation and challenges.

The longer I teach, the more I realize the ratio between the amount of teaching and coaching we do varies from one student to another. It also can change constantly with the same student depending on the different stages of his musical development, as well as the length of study with the same teacher. To achieve optimal teaching results and be able to bring our the best in individual students, teachers need to treat each one differently with respect to the amount of" teaching or coaching needed. We, as piano teachers, should guide students in both areas, working to maintain a balance between these two closely related but diverse aspects of our profession.