 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: nbblazer
Date: 2008-07-08 19:58
I have always taken lessons for older musicians, and I have always given lessons to younger students. I now have an older student (age is in the 60s) who sounds like she knows absolutely nothing about the clarinet. What should I consider to be different from teaching an older person from what I expect with a very young student with no experience?
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-07-08 21:26
60's isn't elderly - 80's are. Go at the students speed and make sure that she understands everything that you are teaching her.
I had a Clarinet student who was 80 yrs' old, had played for many, many years but never learned to read music and wanted to. He learned it just fine and quickly too. He was a very active 80 at that, owned his business and still worked full time at it.
He called to cancel a lesson one time telling me that he had injured his wrist. I asked how, and he said "well, I was changing a light bulb"
and the Dryer tipped over.......
He came the following day 
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2008-07-09 13:39
Fine comments, and story, D B ! Being in the 80's myself, I like to "discuss" fingerings, horn care, how to play "it [the cls and music]", without a "lecture" by those who are obviously better than I. When the particular subject is "well-known" to me, I like to exchange info/experience in a question-and-answer, show-and-tell atmosphere. This also applies to helping adult students to regain old skills, IMHO. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: William
Date: 2008-07-09 14:55
"60's isn't elderly - 80's are."
Thank You, DB--you beat me to it!!
Being mid-60s myself and an active musician, I am not about to play second chair to anyone (yet) and you can assume your 60 something new student probably has the same attiude toward life. We still aspire to learning new music skills and are eager to be involved rather than observe. Personally, I like competition (and winning) and am always interested in what you young'ns have to offer--and learn, if it's "better". I would appreciate being treated like any of your younger students--so, bring it on, teach and I'll show y'all and thing or two........
Actually, my mother lived until she was 101, so I going to wait until the late 90's to be "elderly". By then, I'll probably be out of reeds anyhow.........
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Author: allencole
Date: 2008-07-09 16:27
In my experience, adult students fall in the same category, no matter what their age.
The biggest challenge for any adult amateur is regular practice. Barring a physical barrier, I've found that retirees are actually better about this.
Adults are also more prone to discussion, and their insights can be very interesting. I've found that many adults--even if they don't practice--are very responsive to theory instruction, and if given the proper tools can become very project-oriented. I've found that this is a good back door to increasing practice time.
To anyone working with adults, I'd recommend reading "Make Music for the Joy if It." I think that author's name is Stephanie Judy. I would also recommend the book to adult students. It's aimed straight at the adult amateur and is written with a lot of practicality and common sense.
Allen Cole
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Author: CarlT
Date: 2008-07-09 16:55
Speaking as a beginning adult, and also as a beginning elderly adult (I'm 70), I really believe it depends on the individual adult. I know my reaction time isn't quite as good as it was at age 40, but I still can beat the c*** out of a lot of 20 and 30 something year-olds in racquetball, so my reaction time is not as bad as some 50 year-olds I know.
I feel fortunate to be a healthy older guy, who is willing and eager to learn new things. I know that I put a lot more into practice than I would have when I was much younger...mainly because I am much more focused now that back then (not to mention that I have more time now).
My teacher was a bit reluctant to take me on at first, and he really made it quite clear before my first lesson that if I did not practice and prepare well for my lessons, he would drop me like a hot rock. He didn't know it, but I did, that I would put much more into practice than any student he probably had ever had before.
Well, that was 13 weeks ago, and my teacher, who is not known for being ultra-complimentary, really brags on me to me, to his other students, and to his own teacher (yes, even though he is an excellent player, he still takes lessons after nearly 50 years of playing). He is 69 himself.
Well, I didn't mean to turn this into a "look what Carl has done" type thing, but I say again, it depends on the individual as to whether, or not, he/she can/will learn.
CarlT
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2008-07-09 17:00
CarlT wrote,
>>I say again, it depends on the individual as to whether, or not, he/she can/will learn.>>
Yes. Coming from a family where a death at younger than 90 is considered tragically premature, I've concluded there's no such thing as a "typical" 85-year-old, let alone a typical 60-something-year-old. Come to think of it, there's no such thing as a typical 9-year-old, either. Some people will listen, learn, practice and improve. Other people won't.
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: redwine
Date: 2008-07-09 20:00
Hello,
I must take issue with David's statement about 80 being elderly. A lady works for my wife who I would describe as elderly--she's in her 50s. A neighbor of mine died two years ago, falling down the stairs of his basement while doing laundry. He was 98. I would have never called him elderly. I think your age doesn't matter so much as your state of mind. Sorry to not address the topic of this thread.
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2008-07-09 21:32
Hi,
This is a post I made on another thread of this BB. I think it applies.
"Check the term andragogy and the work of Malcolm Knowles (one of my heroes). Since most of my university teaching years were spent with a large number of adult learners, the techniques fostered by Knowles and others has always been part of my "refresher training."
Stephen Brookfield is another very fine author. Here is a link to his page. You may want to read the first of the articles he has posted. It may relate to the situation of "learning across a lifespan."
http://stephenbrookfield.com/
HRL
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-07-10 14:06
Ah, Blummy , I'm hoping you've regretted classifying 80 as the start of the Elderly crowd. I myself, only one year away from that age, consider "elderly" as having nothing to do with age per se but rather frailty. I am taking the liberty of cancelling the wheelchair march to your abode but I do have a crowd of P.O.'d
octogenarians outside my door. Arrgh...
Bob Draznik
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