There is a famous adage known to most musicians and music teachers: “Those who
can, do; those who can’t, teach”. This is, of course, a false dichotomy: playing and
teaching are two quite different – though related – things and just because one may
be able to do one of them it doesn’t mean that one can do both; but it also doesn’t
mean that they can’t! So, whatever your level as a player, you can learn to teach as
well, or maybe, even better.
It is quite common, especially among guitarists, to be able to play well and think that,
in order to make some regular income, they can start teaching, as if teaching simply
springs forth naturally from being able to play. It does not. In most – if not all – cases,
one needs to learn to teach one’s instrument just like one learnt to play it. In a similar
way that being able to put one’s fingers in the right place is not the same as
rendering a musical phrase (ability), being able to make a musical phrase is not the
same as b) knowing how one does it (knowledge) and c) being able to explain and
show how it is done (communication and demonstration). Neither do any of these
elements include how to make someone feel comfortable, encouraged, inspired and
supported.
I offer a course for those who are players but not (yet!) teachers but who have the
professionalism and humility to recognise that they need some guidance and
knowledge in order to teach well enough to offer the service of teaching to students
in good faith.
This course will furnish the future teacher with training in the teaching of the
following:
- Music reading (and whether and when this is necessary)
- Music theory
- Music history
- Aural and oral skills
- Sight reading
- Musical interpretation and music elements (e.g. tone, tempo, legato, part-playing, phrasing, dynamics and colours, articulation, vibrato etc.)
- Composition
- Technique and exercises
- Teaching different ages of student
- How to use a syllabus/curriculum
- How to guide students through exams (e.g. grades, GCSE and A level music, diplomas)
- How to prepare oneself for formal qualifications (grades and post-grade) while running a studio
- How to question effectively
- How to plan
- How to practice
- How to inspire
- How to include everything you need into as little as one 30 min lesson/week
- Working to deadlines
- Understanding the teaching/coaching distinction
- How to do admin (keep records, enter students for exams, write reports, keep accounts etc.)
- How to accompany
- How to encourage and support
- How to work with students with special needs
- How to teach different styles with different techniques (i.e. classical, rock, pop, jazz, folk etc.)
- How to teach groups
- How to teach bands (playing different instruments)
- How to prepare for job interviews/auditions
- Preparing for performances
- How to pace and set difficulty
- How to arrange pieces for teaching
- Using software and technological devices
- Working with your own limits and knowing them!
Don’t just play, become a teacher; don’t just teach, become a pedagogue and think
about how one teaches and how to teach better! And remember: when you approach
teaching properly, with honesty, humility and dedication, no one learns more than the
teacher themselves!
The course can be done in-person in Sydenham SE26 (London) or online.