Oct 17 2009
Once again asking for your expertise- what would you tell a high school music tutor?
Hello music ed blogging community. I have the opportunity to speak to several wonderful music volunteers this next weekend. They are mostly high school aged music students who will be tutoring with Seattle Music Partners, a non-profit that provides after-school music lessons to underserved elementary and middle school students in Seattle’s Central District.
I have 30 minutes to give them some tips about how 4th-6th grade instrumental students, mostly beginners, can be successful. I plan to talk about-
- What you can expect when teaching beginners- their developmental abilities.
- How to structure an hour long lesson
- Practice tips
- Ways to keep beginners motivated between lessons
- Resources for teaching (books, websites, games, etc)
I would be grateful for your input on any of these items. Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to give you credit in my notes. Any “this has worked for me” gems you can provide to help and inspire these wonderful volunteers.
I will also make my presentation available in a future blog post. Thank you blogging colleagues! I look forward to your ideas.
Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!)
Assuming that the students chosen as tutors are many of the highest-caliber players in your program, I would skip the materials, practice and logistical points. Instead, I would go straight to the issues that separate an average beginner from a successful advanced practitioner: Here’s how your mentees probably feel, here’s how long your mentees’ attention will last, here’s how to keep their spirits up when the going gets rough. Help them understand how to break tasks down into the smallest components for their mentees. Be sure to tell them not to talk too much, but just spend the time playing with their mentees nice and slowly.
Bravo, Ken!
I would try to play with them as much as possible. Make them partners in a musical journey. Play duets, have jam sessions, etc…With all the play-a-longs and technology we have today you can have a full band with an ipod and a minispeaker.
You can teach all you are supposed to (tone, positions, phrasing) at the same time. Any kid worth his instrument loves to play with a good musician.
Cary-
Thanks for the input. I like your distinction between “average beginner vs. successful advanced practitioner.” I’ve added your blog to my blogroll and look forward to reading more as a new subscriber.
Brandt-
Thanks for the comment. I agree- technology can really enhance a lesson. I’m sure these tutors will have some great ideas to motivate these students using their smartphones, digital recorders and other devices. I look forward to following your blog…
Hi Ken. Obviously a huge topic, but here are some thoughts:
- High schoolers may have forgotten how long it takes to master new concepts that now seem basic to them (fingerings, rhythms, etc.) They should be prepared to reteach and reteach.
- For the issue of “Ways to keep beginners motivated between lessons,” teachers should give explicit instructions on what to work on. “Let’s see if you can have these fingerings memorized by the next time I see you,” or “I want to hear you play Lightly Row next time. If you finish that, go on to Au Claire De La Lune.”
Good luck on your presentation! I wish I could hear it and take notes!
[...] a previous post, I mentioned I would be delivering a presentation to some high school and adult music tutors [...]