 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-03-05 13:27
I was just wondering about teachers and the concept of what makes a good teacher or a bad teacher. For the students out there, what do you look for in a teacher?
And for the teachers, what do you feel you have to do for your students to be a good teacher? Is there anything that you feel "if I didn't do X, then I wouldn't be a good teacher"?
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-03-05 16:02
I'm sure that I may think of more later, but here are the "X"'s that I must do:
Have high expectations, and show my students how to meet them.
Tailor my curriculum to the individual student as the situation(s) require.
Give them the advantages that I wish I had been given.
Seek out new (ever more effective) methods.
James
Gnothi Seauton
Post Edited (2008-03-05 16:07)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2008-03-05 16:13
"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward
...GBK
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2008-03-05 16:24
A teacher is someone who is able to convey their knowledge to the student. Whether it be verbal, physical, or visual. If the student "gets it" then they have adequately been taught.
In addition, A "good" teacher has a good balance of knowledge and personality. Not too chatty, but not too serious either.
A good teacher shows the student where they are headed.
A good teacher has reasonable expectations.
A good teacher should give a balance of postive and negative feedback.
If you have a good teacher, you should leave your lesson encouraged and motivated.
My teacher comprises all of the above.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-03-06 01:57
Good question. A good teacher has to have many of the qualities listed in the above posts as well as patience and a good analytical mind. They also need to be teaching because they enjoy it and not only doing it for the money. They also have to know the subject matter very well and be flexible and understanding. It’s difficult to be the perfect teacher for every student but they at least need to try. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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Author: Brenda ★2017
Date: 2008-03-06 11:55
Also... a good teacher will light a spark.
For the most part the student's eyes and face will radiate excitement with what they just did, what they just learned, with a goal ahead of them.
By far most learning happens during practice. So if the student is excited about learning and has been told how to practice to achieve their goal, then progress will happen without your knowing exactly how they managed to get there. Then YOU get excited about their lesson when you see what they've done!
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Author: chipper
Date: 2008-03-06 14:24
Attachment: toilet.bmp (639k)
I have had three formal teachers in the 3 1/2 years I've been learning music. Each wonderful in his or her own way. The first was a straight method book kinda guy. Having never read or played a note in my life, he was perfect. The second was a mechanical, technical player. An actual clarinetist. Proper form, proper fingering, proper embouchure, etc. She was also perfect. Now the third is teaching improv jazz and blues. He's teaching the feelings involved with making music. He, too, is perfect. Seems the perfect teacher is the one right for your stage and goals. Take what you can from each, be grateful for the knowlege and move on. It occures to me that going to a music teacher is a bit like going to a psychologist. You listen and learn, then go forth to apply what you've learned.
C
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2008-03-06 14:40
All good thoughts. The best teachers I had knew and taught the fundamentals, yes, but they also loved what they taught and let their enthusiasm show. I'll never forget learning the clarinet in Mr. Curatillo's grammar school band class. He wasn't perfect by any means. He was taking a kickback from a music store to promote Bundy instruments. He was a dreadful sexist, even by the low standards of 1957. But could that man teach!
He loved music and he loved kids. He lit up with delight when the band sounded good or when a student made progress. He'd point out those accomplishments to the class--he was lavish with his praise (and it was never empty praise--we had to earn it) and humorous in his criticism, as when he'd shout, "Blair, don't blast!" at the talented first trombonist, whose name was Blair. The whole class caught that spark. No surprise that our band whupped the cork grease out of the competition at local Battles of the Bands. Mr. Curatillo, R.I.P.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2008-03-06 16:04
A good clarinet teacher is sympathetic because s/he has been through it, knows the horn, knows the literature, and.
has X-ray intuition so that s/he can see what the heck is going on inside the student and get all that fussy plumbing and valving to work making good sounds.
Watch for one member's sign-off line that points out that the good teacher tells you about problems (internal air passages, etc) that you don't realize you have.
Bob Phillips
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-03-27 03:13
I just wanted to point out a few of the teaching styles and/or teacher styles that I have experienced. Teachers probably fall into all of these categories at one or another time in the lesson, but I find most people use one style more than the other. This can be in any field, not only music.
These type names are just my classification, maybe you call them something else.
1. The Performer- This person uses the instrument most of the time. They play for the student and request them to imitate. If you play in a way that is wrong or they think is wrong (stylistically, for example), they will invariably stop you and play it for you to copy.
2. The English Pointer (as in dogs)- This person makes mostly verbal comments. When the student makes a mistake, they say something like, "Did you hear that? That section still needs improvement. You have to practice it more."
3. The Coach- This teacher gives you a lot of exact, physical "how to" in the lesson and talks a lot about the technique as though they were a physical trainer. Often the playing time is usually in very short sections (maybe only 10-20 seconds/time) of trial, error and correction- the goal being to be aware of and physically execute the task.
4. The Psychiatrist- This person tries to make you more aware of your weak points and strong points and wants you to find who you are (especially with respect to style)- they try to help the student "play more like themselves".
5. The Philosopher- This type tells stories about what the music represents and how it should make you or the audience feel. They often say things like, "This phrase is like the first rays of sunlight in morning. ... And here we have the rooster."
Does anyone have any other types? Which type do you prefer? Why?
Post Edited (2008-03-27 14:44)
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2008-03-27 03:25
The best teacher I've had gave me things to do so that, years after we fell out of regular contact, I still have those techniques guiding me forward in every practice, rehearsal, and performance... it's almost a unified theory to single reed performance. When I have a problem, I think back to what he would have recommended, and I remember an appropriate way to approach it. He's practically a little Obi-Wan Kenobi in my ear.
A good teacher gives you appropriate, helpful advice, during lessons, relevant to your situation. A really great teacher gives you advice that applies to practically any situation and stays with you when he's not around.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-03-28 16:50
Skygardener, I do all 5 of those pretty equally like you mentioned. Depends on the student and what works well for them, and my mood...... 
If I were to go with one however, it would be The Coach. I even refer to my students as "small muscle" athletes as what we do as players is quite athletic, just with using many small muscles quite intricately, and a large portion of the Brain as opposed to some Athletes who can be great and still dumb as a rock...
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: ASBassCl1
Date: 2008-03-28 22:28
My teacher does all 5 of those things pretty equally. I prefer the philosophical one because making a story out of the music and telling it by playing it makes music the most fun and enjoyable.
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