Music Is Not for Insects

The best part about being a musician is that you’ll never be perfect…there’s always something to learn. The worst part about being a musician is that you’ll never be perfect…there’s always something to learn.

Over at mustech.net, Joe Pisano just returned from PMEA and posted the following sentiment he over heard from fellow music educators:

Students are given a trophy for everything they do. They expect to be rewarded for simply participating in something. It’s all part of the “I’m o.k., you’re o.k.” culture… I think it’s a “dumbing down” of the perception of excellence. This is why I am such an advocate of “getting beyond the four walls of your school and classroom”. Students in music MUST be exposed continually to people, groups, and ensembles that perform music excellently. Too often a student is told they are good at something (in our case -music) and they go through life under a false pretense. Encouragement is needed at all times to truly strive for “better”, BUT they must have a reference to what “BETTER” is! Don’t believe me on this one? Tune in to the auditions at American Idol.

How do we get our kids thinking about excellence? Or how do we teach our students to be realistic about their ability? When do we learn how to evaluate, change and grow as musicians? Can we be critical of our own performance as musicians, yet remain sane in the process?

All of this got me thinking about my teaching with beginning musicians, particularly instrumentalists. From day one in my classroom, I strive to create an environment where students can risk big, feel rewarded, and act responsibly. I believe this creates a framework for students to strive for excellence and honestly evaluate their progress.

From day one in the beginning group lesson, I introduce the concept of risk by insisting that everyone must feel safe when they perform for each other with some simple rules:

• Play with courage.
• Play with understanding.
• Be patient with others and yourself.
• Know you can ask for help at anytime.

As kids progress, they know they will be rewarded daily, weekly and monthly by:

• Constant encouragement.
• Being highlighted in “The Podcast of the Week”
• Being chosen as a soloist in an upcoming concert.
• Getting a medal or certificate at the end of the year for completing achievement lines.

These may not be new ideas to anyone in music education, but it’s the last “R” of responsibility that I think often gets overlooked in our teaching.

Let me try to explain by giving you a “sample” transcript of what you might hear during a lesson in my classroom:

T: Ok, who is ready to play for me #43 on page 10? This was your assignment for today’s lesson…

S: I’m ready!

T: All right. Lucy, please begin when you are ready…

[Lucy plays but doesn't quite get the rhythm right in the last measure...]

T: Thank you…now, did you play that without any mistakes?

S: No.

T: Good! That’s right. Where did you have a problem?

S: I think I made a mistake in the last measure…uh…with the counting?

T: Yes. That’s right. [addressing the rest of the class now..] The good news is she can now fix it…[with humor] or should we kick her out of the band? Of course not! How about this…does anyone have any tips for Lucy on how she can get the rhythm correct in that last measure?
-end transcript-

I really encourage my instrumental students to be honest and objective about their playing by constantly asking questions about what they are hearing and to immediately assess their performance with the help of others or by listening to recordings of their playing. I often make a big deal and applaud students when they can identify a mistake they have made after playing something. I say “if you can hear your mistakes, you can fix them.” This encourages them to take responsibility for their playing and growth as a musician. Assessment and especially self-assessment in instrumental music is a process of learning how to evaluate, reflect and change one’s practice.

How does this relate to kids understanding the difference between an excellent performance and something that is mediocre? If we can instill in our students from the very beginning that excellence is a journey, they will come to realize that the joy in learning to play an instrument, or sing, is akin to the first part of the quote at the top of this post: “The best part about being a musician is that you’ll never be perfect…” and the journey never ends.

It’s our job as music educators to give them the proper tools and perspective for the journey. Let me know how you make that happen with your students.

When it comes to practicing an instrument, I was always told what to practice but never how. I was also told that more time spent practicing created results. This meant as a young musician, I focused more on watching the clock than practicing with purpose. This same attitude of more practice (TIME)=better musician carried over into my teaching.

It wasn’t until I read The Practice Revolution by Philip Johnston I realized my approach to practicing was flawed. This book has given me the tools I need to help students understand the how of practice that is outcome based and results oriented. Geared toward parents and teachers, Johnston makes a compelling argument for quality vs. quantity when it comes to practicing; all in an easy to read, conversational style.

In his third book, Practiceopedia, Johnston has written “the world’ first complete practice room reference; a comprehensive 376 page fully-illustrated A-Z of practice ideas, strategies, tips, tricks and traps – in a breezy full-color magazine-style format that is browsable, fun to read, and bursting with information. “

Here is a list of my favorite articles from Philip Johnston’s web-site The Practice Spot:

The Practice Revolution (Chapter 1 from the book with the same title)

The Role of Parents

Nintendo Practice
Don’t let the title fool you on this one…excellent read, especially for parents of “screenagers” a.k.a “videots” or gamers.

Practice Props

Why some students don’t practice

Photo Source: linlin (back now)

I want to call your attention to a great article I found on the internet about kids and practice. Here is the link:
Mom, I don’t WANT to practice!

I strongly encourage you to read it, but I will highlight some of the key points below:

“…When a child starts to learn an instrument, the experience is often treated as the new adventure it is; but after the first few weeks or months, the novelty can wear off and the child becomes distracted by other attention-grabbers like TV shows, playing with friends, and other things that don’t require sitting for 20-30 minutes for concentrated practice.”

Hints to Survive Practicing

1) Try breaking up the practice time into two segments each day. Have your child practice for 10 minutes before school and 10 minutes after dinner.

2) Come up with an incentive such as a quarter in a jar every time they practice. At the end of two weeks, let them spend their money at a store or to treat themselves to a fast food goodie.

3) Sit with your child during practic
e time. Not only is this a great time to learn with them, but it keeps them on track.

4) Have your child give you a concert at least once a month. Nothing builds up a child’s confidence and makes him or her feel like an accomplished musician like having Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa there as an audience. Plan the “concert” ahead of time and tell your child that they need to practice their lesson and then pick out four of their favorite songs to play for their big day.

5) Balance out practice time with a fun activity. Practicing DOES NOT have to be just playing your songs 3-5 times each. Integrate music flash cards, a book from the library about music, listen to some sort of classical or jazz music with your child and talk about the instruments you hear.

6) Let your child be the teacher for 10 minutes of practice time. Have them give YOU a mini lesson. You’d be surprised what you can learn from that little one!

7) DO NOT make practice time a yelling match or struggle of wills. There ARE times when kids just need a break from the daily routine, but let them know that that break is for one day only and the next day they will have to add some time on to makeup for their missed practice the day before.

Teaching them commitment and following through: Developing a consistent routine for practicing teaches your child that once they start something, they need to see it through even if it’s just for a given amount of time.

The BEST piece of advice I can give all parents is to stick with it. Be there to reinforce good practice habits. As teachers, we can only do so much reinforcing. It’s best to work as a team to help your child develop their talents and gifts. Praise them often even when they hit a few clinker notes.

Ok- this is not really about my predictions for music education…I am guilty of creating a provocative title for my last post of 2007 with hopes that you will read my final thoughts, resolutions, confessions and hopeful predictions about my practice as a music educator in 2008:

In 2008 I predict that I will:

*Plan ahead.
The immediacy of the internet and my own laziness has made me a lousy planner. No more last minute lessons or off-the-cuff rehearsals.

*Keep my chops in shape.
If I can’t wow my students with my playing or singing, I’m just a teacher. I need to be a performer as well as a teacher. As a general music teacher, it’s too easy to let my technique slide. I need to keep performing and practicing regularly.

*Only perform quality repertoire.
I’m done picking repertoire based solely on the label Editor’s Choice for my students. I need to take the time to find quality music; the kind that inspired me to be a music teacher. I need to remember that excellent music may not be easily accessible at first playing or singing for my students, but the reward comes in digging deeper each time the piece is rehearsed and performed.

*Convince my students that hard work and self-denial is what it takes to get results.
I need to remind my students that time spent practicing is the only way to get better. Can I create a culture of excellence based on good practice habits?

*Teach my students how to practice.
I will no longer tell my students to practice without defining clear expectations and outcomes for each practice session…(sounds like a future blog post).

*Use technology responsibly.
I vow to create meaningful uses of technology in my practice as a music teacher. I have been guilty of creating fun moments with technology, but now I need to plan (see first point above) on connecting my use of technology to standards and learning for each of my students.

Here comes 2008…I want to be ready for a new year of better teaching.

Photo attribution: by venegas