 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jan
Date: 2001-07-16 12:13
i will be getting my first adult beginner in a few weeks.
i have been teaching a 9 yr old and a 7 yr old.
do i teach an adult the same way? i dont want to insult his intelligence but i also dont want to skip important first steps.
what kind of books do you reccommend for adults?
i would like some advice from those who teach adult beginners....i would also like to hear what our adult beginners have to say.........
thank You
jan
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-07-16 12:50
I'm an adult hack (er, beginner) and can offer only the little that has been shown for me so far...
I work out of the David Hite Progressive studies book for melodic content and counting exercises.
I use the Baermann scales (Op. 63) and Solefeges des Solefege for ear training.
****
Here are the things that encourage me to stay on...
Every 2-3 weeks I have a lesson (people with jobs may need more time to properly prepare).
My teacher keeps me updated on any schedule change, well in advance of the date. Cancellations and no-shows are bad news, anywhere.
Rhythm is the most strictly enforced part of my training (I can scarcely count) and this has made possible playing with other people.
Fundamentals are ALWAYS stressed in the lessons, it's not a dexterity exercise.
As adults, we respond (maybe crave) praise, but may not take to flattery.
Do make sure your student knows when they do well.
Discourage "Gizmology", it should be about the music not the horn, reed, mpc, ligature, lighting...yadda-yadda.
Stick to your guns during the lessons, and things will go well.
Best of luck!
anji
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Author: irene
Date: 2001-07-16 12:59
I had an adult student as well, and what I liked most is that you can give much attention to yhe music. She liked to find out herself about dynamics and how to make a nice sound. She had difficulties with new notes and things like tonguing. I played a lot pieces with piano with her because she thought that was more `making music`. But I had only one adult student so I can`t say that works for all adults.
Have fun!
Irene
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Author: beth
Date: 2001-07-16 13:42
I''m not an adult beginner on clarinet, but I was on the flute. My experience may have been a bit different, but some may apply. Since I knew how to read music already, we didn't have to start at ground zero. What we did was find a book of easy duets and started from there. Warm-up was stressed with scales and long tones and learing proper use of the metronome. What I really enjoyed was that my teacher threw in some music theory in the lessons. For example, one day I was complaining that I didn't like a particular arrangement of "Amazing Grace" that lead into a discussion of pentonic (sp) scales and that lead to several lessons on improv. That was great fun! I had never gotten theory in my first go round in the public schools, mechanics were stressed, but not theory.
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Author: jan
Date: 2001-07-16 14:05
btw.....my adult student is a complete beginner, not just to clarinet...i will have to teach him the names of the notes and values etc...
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-07-16 16:28
Hi, Jan -
I haven't taught anyone since high school but am about to help a first timer get started in a few weeks. The person is interested in learning soprano sax. I know, I know... I tried to convince her that clarinet is best to start with (I play sax[es] too). I even offered to *give* her a Vito clarinet. She's old enough to know her own mind though so, as soon as she gets her hands on a soprano sax she's going to play it... one way or another :] Being friends, I also offered her a flute  She'd tried that years ago in school, didn't like it, turned me down flat : Well, whatta ya gonna do :| I offered to teach her the basics just like any other beginner. She reads sheet music so-so and knows a little about harmony etc. I plan to start by shopping for a mouth piece/reed combo with her to get her setup right. Then start like any other beginner... long tones, progress to scales and familiar simple tunes - then fingering excercises and melodies to work on. I don't anticipate having to keep her interest up. She's motivated! I just don't want to see her start off with bad habits that will be a problem later. When she's progressed to 'intermediate', whatever that is, I will suggest a sax teacher. She may or may not take my advice. Either way, I expect this student to make rapid progress. She may be in a community band next season :])
From past experience, you teach adult first timers just like you teach kids - technically - but you address them as adults. How can you insult their intelligence? You have just as much fun as anybody else discovering making music with an instrument.
- ron b -
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Author: Josh Schultze
Date: 2001-07-16 17:38
Jan,
I started clarinet two and a half years ago and I was a total beginner: to the instrument and reading music. There are several questions you must ask your student to determine the level of seriousness.
1. Why do want to play the clarinet in particular? You want to make sure their answer has the words "I've always wanted..." or "I've always loved..." This is important because if they are unsure about the their choice of instrument then they might not stick with it.
2. How much time can you practice? If your student is an investment banker for example, and has little time to practice then they won't advance sufficiently quickly to keep them interested. This can be a major bore for you as without sufficient practice time they could progress extremely slowly.
3. Do you have a spot where you can practice without disturbing others? If they have to juggle schedules so they can practice without disturbing spouses, roomates or neighbors then that is one more obstacle they will have to overcome, in addition to learning their instrument and reading music.
4. Is there another musician, preferably pianist, whom you can play with? The reason I say pianist is that it is very easy to find both pianists and easy duets for Piano and Clarinet. However any PATIENT musican will do. It is important that they can quickly ask someone questions rather than waiting for a whole week, or even two before they can ask you. Also the sooner they can begin making music with friends, the more fun they will have.
Strategies you can use to help your adult student:
1. Don't insist that they work through a measure that they cannot get past in front of you. Rather, record yourself playing the piece or difficult measures and let them work it out with dignity in the privacy of their homes.
2. Encourage them to work with a metronome. Otherwise they can never be sure if they are playing rhythmically.
3. Encourage that they buy a good tuner. A beginner has no idea what being in tune means. With a tuner they can learn about pitch and improve their own. Also it makes playing long tone more interesting.
4. Provide them with books, CD's stories or anecdotes about music and clarinets. This way their interest in general will broaden and support their efforts at the clarinet.
5. If they are doing something wrong, in addition to an explanation, show them what they did by playing it out and exaggerating every step of the way. When the teacher plays smoothly and effortlessly all the beginner sees is perfection. Much can be learned by learning what not to do: contraexample. Also you can play the passage they are playing wrong both their way, exaggerated, and the correct way and ask them if they hear the difference. This will develop their ability to hear.
I hope the above advice helps.
Josh
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Author: jerry
Date: 2001-07-16 17:49
This could be another can of worms.
I started the CL last Sept. with no music education whatsoever. I personnaly prefer a "taskmaster". One who takes a proactive role in in the training. Anything less and I wind up dominating the lesson time (to my own disadvantage, I know).
One thing that discourages me is the lack of patience with myself, and the fact that my busy schedule does not allow for enough practice time. There is little doubt that if I had known that (learning the clarinet or any musical instrument) there is *so* much time required, I would not have started. But I am hooked now (thanks to all those here who have ecouraged me to be patient) and planning to buy a pro level horn.
My lessons ar 30 min. per week and that is fine with me. If it were spread out two or more weeks I might have a tendency to put off practicing in lieu of other priorities. I am now being taught (by my third teacher) from the Rubank book and it is okay -- not difficult but sometimes on the boring side. I get discouraged, usually because I don't get to play anything "entertaining" or that I recognize as "music". But that may improve soon.
Now that I have "crossed the break" (sort of) and playing notes in the clarion, there is a little more excitment to added to my practice. My greatest difficulty is rhythm/counting which, I understand, the younger students seem to grasp more quickly.
I'll cease my rambling. Hope this helps.
~ jerry
Still in Clarinet Boot Camp
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Author: Koh Kah Huat
Date: 2001-07-17 00:18
I am a total beginner, knowing nuts about music or any musical instrument, when I started 1.5 years ago.
I find rhythm is the most difficult to learn and is perhaps the most important.
After started for almost a year, I found Rubank books. I have used Andrew Scott's Clarinet Method, A Tune A Day, Learn to Play the Clarinet. I think Rubank books are very good and one should start learning the clarinet with Rubank books.
I find practising etudes is particularly useful to me.
Being a working adult (I am 41+), there is not much time for learning. Too much introduction on music and clarinet may be too much material to absorb. I would prefer to start off slow and steadily. I believe getting the fundamentals right is more important than speedy progress.
Sharing your lesson plans and what to practice to a adult beginner would be most useful.
I hope my experiences would help. Best of luck.
KahHuat
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2001-07-17 04:19
I have 7 adults currently active, and all are doing relatively well. Several factors are important:
1 - You need to tell them up front that the task requires. This may lose you the student, but it will save much grief later on.
2 - Music Theory is very helpful. I use the Master Theory Workbook (www.kjos.com). It's very easy to use, and is a terrific help in learning notes and rhythms without the distraction of operating the instrument.
2 - I usually use one of the band books with play-along CDs such as Standard of Excellence for their method book. The CDs make the pieces more interesting to play, and also provide the student with an example that helps them to correct their errors. They also have a much clearer fingering chart than the Rubank.
3 - A video is often very helpful to rank beginners. My beginners use the Ultimate Beginner series from Warner Brothers. That gives them an instant reference on assembly, cleaning, hand position and embouchure.
4 - I encourage my beginners to play by ear and usually start them right away on the low F scale. This way, they have a creative outlet while they are still learning their basics. Songs played by ear should be simple, with no out-of-key accidentals, and should have a lot of adjacent notes. I keep some online at http://allencole.tripod.com/play_ear.htm
5 - It's very important to prioritize. Adults are very busy, and their practice time will vary. I usually put anything scale-related as priority #1, followd by theory, followed by their other assignments. I tell them never to blow off practice just because they don't have a full 30 minutes available. Instead, they could take 5 or 10 minutes and just run their scales. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for them to do SOMETHING every day.
6 - Most adults have specific personal goals. Stick to your guns 100% on the basics, but be on the lookout for ways to apply those basics to the student's stated goal ASAP.
Good luck. Some of my favorite students are adults.
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Author: beth
Date: 2001-07-17 04:26
playing by ear - the very 1st song i learned on the flute was "Joy to the World" - C natural scale, easy and fun, needed no music.
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-07-17 07:03
After not playing for 20 yrs, I started again when my daughter signed up for bigginers band a few ago. To get back in shape I used the Standard of Exellence book with CD. Later I found a really good instructor out at the community college to help me along and correct some of the "wrong things" I had "perfected" so well in school. He had several adult students and rather than make them feel sheepish playing Mary had a Little Lamb (no pun intended), he wrote out some simple pieces of some swing tunes. He told me it made some of his adult learners feel more comfortable with tunes they could relate to more. His biggest problem was that most adults pretty much knew their goal, but wanted to acheive it too quickly (guilty here) and sometimes got dissappointed. This, he had to deal with as tactfully as posible while encouraging them as well.
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Author: jan
Date: 2001-07-17 13:54
thanks so much everyone!! you all got me feeling excited to begin teaching my adult beginner student))
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Author: Meri
Date: 2001-07-18 00:22
jan:
A quote to encourage you: "It's easiest to teach beginners because you know exactly where to start."
You might find out what kind of music your adult student wants to play.
As for clarinet method books, one that I like is "The Complete Clarinet Player" by Paul Harvey. It's available at sheetmusicplus.com. But you can adapt a lot of music, exercises, and studies to focus on various aspects of playing.
I would encourage that you separate learning to play an instrument from learned to read music. After all, music is sound, not sight.
There's also several good programs that can help students learn to read notation, which often also include more advanced theory. Two that I know of and have used are MiBac and Practica Musica. There's also ways of remembering where notes fall on the treble clef, such as "Every Good Boy Deserves Favor" for the lines.
You can eventually encourage your adult student to prepare questions they want to discuss before a lesson. You can also reinforce what you've taught at previous lessons if a student asks about something you already talked about.
Have them get a copy of Pino's book, The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing.
Finally, I would enourage all students to listen to good clarinetists, on both recordings and live. The sound concept is so important.
Meri
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2001-07-18 03:54
I agree strongly with the guy who writes out special tunes for adults. I have a friend who does this with kids in a two-week class at a local day camp. She has beginners playing "We Will Rock You", "Another One Bites the Dust", "Celebration" and a myriad of others.
I've found it useful to write are duets using tutti rhythm and good two-part harmony. These are pretty easy to play, and help to train the students' ears. I also transpose them (via computer) one or two half-steps up and down, so that students will have easy things to play in difficult keys.
Carol of the Drum has a very limited range, and can be played in MANY keys. (I used up most of an inkjet cartridge printing in different keys for various combinations of instruments)
Gluck's "Dance of the Blessed Sprits" does well, as does Dvorak's "Going Home" (New World Symphony slow mvt) and Les Brown's "Sentimental Journey."
If you have any interest in writing, be glad you're a teacher. You have an endless line of Guinea Pigs for your creations.
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Author: Mark Cresitello-Dittmar
Date: 2001-07-20 18:42
Another suggestion:
I'm an adult beginner(ish). I recently switched
to a new teacher and one thing he does with me
that I found fun was improvisation.
When he first told me, I thought he was nuts..
I couldn't do that!, but it's a real hoot.
He supplies a tape with background accompanyment
for a particular scale and I play along
with that. Of course, you'll have to get
far enough that the student can play a few
notes ( C,D,E,G,A ).
It's a fun way to work on just making a
good sound, learning key positions and
how music is put together.
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-07-22 18:11
As a musician and a former student of adult learning processes, I can safely say that everyone who responed to your request, Jan, is correct. And that's the key. Kids are best taught in the systematic, pedegogical manner, but EVERY ADULT LEARNS DIFFERENTLY, and grown-ups like us have our own ideas on how we like to go about it. But there are some rules to teaching adults that you may apply
1) Talk with your adult student and ask him/her what he wants outta this whole deal. Is it for fun? Does he/she want to join a band in the future? GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENT. Have you done this before? Josh's list of questions (above) can really help you learn how your student learns... they're exellent questions for establishing a learning "style". ADULT LEARNING IN ANY SUBJECT BEST OCCURS WHEN THE TEACHER BEGINS WITH WHAT THE STUDENT ALREADY KNOWS... even if they know nothing.
2) Use this information to set "learning objectives" from lesson to lesson (one step at a time), and make sure your student KNOWS what's expected of him/her for next lesson.
3) If it seems you're just not getting through, then try a different approach. IE...some adults learn best by "diving right in", while others prefer a more cognitive approach... lot's of explanation and demonstration.... before even attempting the first note, let alone an etude.
4) There is no better teacher, than he/she who recogizes their student's accomplishments, no matter how small. Be supportive and complimentary, and gentle in your advice. Remember, an adult can make his/her own choices, if you're too aggressive, they just may decide to forget it.
I could go on about this, but that's it in a nutshell. Good luck Jan, and don't be afraid to ask your own questions, and LEARN WITH your student and admit that you don't know an answer to their questions (offer to find out for them). Adults can pick up on that sort of thing.
Of course... tell him about sneezy, too. It's an incredible site for young and old alike!!!!!!!
Jim
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