Klarinet Archive - Posting 000712.txt from 1998/06

From: pollyg@-----. Gulakowski)
Subj: Re: [kl] Beginner students
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 21:14:22 -0400

P: Awwhh Fred...My playing comes from the heart, my technique from
arthritic fingers and an embrochure fiddled by a bridge on my upper
teeth. Seems like I barely passed my jury BUT I just had a student (now
adult) and I don't teach anymore, tell me how much he learned. I can
"tell" you note by note how to make tunes sound from the heart, but I
can't make ME sound professional. I still love to play though, and I
think that's a basis for good teaching too.

Paulette

On Fri, 19 Jun 1998 09:49:59 -0400 "Mr. Sheim" <fsheim@-----.com> writes:
>I tend to disagree with this. "If you can't play, then you can't
>teach" is
>quite different from "If you can't teach, then you can't play." True,
>teaching is an art, but if you can't teach, you certainly can become a
>great player- one has nothing to do with the other. However, "If you
>can't
>play," how would you know WHAT to teach? There is a great difference
>between "playing the notes" and "playing from the heart." Great
>players
>imbue their performances with phrasing and emotion that comes from
>beyond
>the printed page. If those qualities are a mystery to you as a
>teacher,
>how DO you teach them. You can't. So "If you can't play, then you
>can't
>teach" really IS a valid statement.
>
>Fred (fsheim@-----.com)
>
>
>
>At 04:57 PM 6/18/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>>Lets face it,
>>>how many music "educators" on the 1-12 grade levels can actually
>play their
>>>OWN instrument, nevertheless teach ALL instruments? Most school
>music
>>>teachers I've run across can't play their way out of a wet paper
>bag! The
>>level of playing by the
>>>music education majors at the local university (and other top
>>conservatories
>>>I've been around) is a horrendous joke. The level of mediocrity
>schools
>>are
>>>willing to accept is amazing and befuddles me.
>>
>>I refer you to Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser's wonderful book, The Art of
>Successful
>>Teaching:
>>
>> One of the most popular phrases often heard in the halls of music
>>schools around the nation is, "If you can't play, then you can't
>teach."
>>That always bothered me! Teaching is an art in its own right. A
>great
>>teacher can amass information of any kind and have students excited
>and
>>interested in a topic, not so much because of the topic, but because
>of the
>>presentation of the material, or, if you will, the performance of the
>>teaching.
>> Being and "expert"on any subject matter does not a teacher make.
>We all
>>have the example of our college professors who were the
>"international
>>expert" on the given subject matter and had written the definitive
>text
>>concerning that very topic. Yet, in the classroom, they failed time
>and
>>time again to teach...they simply lectured. There was no sense of
>>performance or art in conveying this information; in fact, it often
>seemed a
>>burden to their schedule and they would much rather have been
>researching
>>or writing. Likewise, we have all experienced that enthusiastic
>graduate
>>student who could take the most elementary information and have
>everyone
>>buzzing about what a fantastic class they were having.
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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