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Date Posted: 17:52:06 03/23/04 Tue
Author: John Padley
Subject: performing vs. teaching

Now that I have been in the college setting for a while and have observed many different styles of teaching, I'm beginning to wonder if a person has to be an excellent performer on their instrument in order to be a successful teacher. I have observed very succesful teachers perform excellently and I have observed (in my opinion) unsuccessful teachers perform at substandard levels, but I have never seen a very successful teacher who can't perform well. So, does this mean that I can't be a very successful teacher if I can't play my instrument as well as I'd like to?

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Replies:

[> Re: performing vs. teaching -- Derek Meilaender, 05:21:30 03/25/04 Thu [1]

Every summer I have an opportunity to work in a summer band program, and every summer we start little fith graders on their instruments. It's a lot of fun to teach a beginning student. Occasionally I might pull out my saxophone and play a scale or something for them. Their eyes bulge out of their head, their faces light up, and their smile spans their entire face - "WOW!!" The point is, these kids are struggling with playing a middle c on the staff, and whenever they here us demonstrate anything they get all excited. They learn from our examples. Every once in a while, I get to teach a student one on one. Either they haven't caught up with the rest of the students because they were gone on vacation for a couple of days, or they just need a little extra push (sometimes a shove). Because I play the saxophone adequately, I can help these beginners in the simplest ways. I know how to hold my mouth, how to tongue, how to finger, etc, through my (extensive) experiences (ha). If you can do it yourself, you're more apt to spot mistakes in other students. That's why I believe good teachers must be able to play their instrument well. I can teach beginners how to play the saxophone because I've been through it all. On the grander scale of things, teachers can teach students of all ages because they've been through so much more. Experience makes a lot of difference in this business - performing and teaching go hand in hand.


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[> Re: performing vs. teaching -- Steve Tharp, 10:02:06 03/27/04 Sat [1]

John your question is a very good one. In my own experience throughout college and with the little experience I ahve outside of it i have come to this conclusion. One must know the "ins and outs" of the instruments. Being able to demonstrate what you want is very important especiall at the elementary and early junior high level. It is with knowing your instrument, communicating effectively, and your passion for the music that will make you a good teacher. Being a good performer as a teacher is an asset, but is not, in my opinion a necessity in teaching. Always strive to be a great performer because your students deserve the best possible education and experiences. Do not be fooled though. Alot of times I hear in college, "well I am a music education major so i don't need to perform well." WRONG! You may bot be the best but performing ot the best of your ability is key. You expect the same from your students. I hope that helps some.


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[> Re: performing vs. teaching -- Ryann, 21:11:56 03/28/04 Sun [1]

John, you might have answered your own question when you made the observation about many good teachers being proficient on their instruments. I think if you have a passion for teaching, you're going to want to be as good as you possibly can be in whatever it is that you teach. For example, I will want to be not only the best singer I can possibly be, but the best musician I can possibly be. It's only fair to your students and to yourself.


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[> Re: performing vs. teaching -- Devin Bramel, 18:17:22 04/05/04 Mon [1]

Well, from what I've seen from other teachers in the field, it's not necessary for you to be a virtuoso on your instrument. What I've found to be more valuable is a general knowledge of how to play all the different instruments in the ensemble. That way you can help out kids who have questions on fingerings and the like. Just because you can play the trumpet or the piano or whatever really well doesn't mean that you're qualified to lead an ensemble. However, if you know the technical details of all the instruments, you're in a much better position to justify your job.


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