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10 Qualities of an Excellent Teacher
- An Excellent Teacher is an Excellent Musician in every way... by ear, by sight, by feel, in performance, in practice.
- An Excellent Teacher is an Avid Student of the Mind, always learning new ways of teaching, judging other teacher's student's in competitions, attending countless seminars on learning, psychology, pedagogy, physiology, and performance.
- An Excellent Teacher Tailors Her/His Teaching Style to meet the Student's Learning Style, not the other way around.
- An Excellent Teacher helps the student set goals for excellence, and then models that excellence for them by following through with goals of their own.
- An Excellent Teacher will help the student figure out whether scheduled or spontaneous practice would be best for them.
- An Excellent Teacher will find out what kind of music the student loves most, and tailor their curriculum to include it.
- An Excellent Teacher will find out whether the student would more enjoy performing live or recording their first concert on CD, and make that venue easily accessible.
- An Excellent Teacher builds a rapport with the student, and is ever mindful that they are a example for a student to model.
- An Excellent Teacher makes lessons fun, making the hard work into clever games to ease the stress.
- An Excellent Teacher recognizes when a student has had a rough week, or is just not doing their best. This teacher finds time to listen to the student, and assigns work based on the student's capacity, without letting the student feel overwhelmed or guilty.
- An Excellent Teacher finds many different ways to present difficult material, and watches to see when the student finally "gets" the concept before moving on.
- An Excellent Teacher recognizes that the student has many other things going on in their life besides music, and teaches the student to use the music to help them get through stressful situations.
Ten Qualities of a Good Music Teacher, and Questions to Ask
- These are 10 minimum qualities that every good music teacher must have:
- A Good Teacher will sit down with you, and your student, and help you define and set clear goals for what you are going to accomplish in the first five years of lessons.
- A Good Teacher will teach your child to read music from the very first lesson. There is absolutely no reason that they should not be reading from day 1, if they are over 5 years old. (The "Suzuki Method" is not appropriate for beginning students older than age 5, or if under age 5, students that do not also have a parent in lessons so they can work with the child every day)
- A Good Teacher will use Method Books, not photocopies in a notebook! (These methods are designed by experts in Pedagogy, and, in my opinion, no music teacher out there has enough knowledge and experience to pick & choose, on their own, unless they have a doctorate in piano pedagogy)
- A Good Teacher will make sure their students complete all of the chosen Method Books, in order, before they start assigning random music on their own. (These Methods are written to cover all of the basics that a well trained student needs for their life. I have yet to see a student fail when they stayed in the methods all the way to the end, and then moved on to more advanced repertoire.)
- A Good Teacher performs regularly. Have them play for you and your student monthly. This gives your student respect for their teacher, and motivation to attain a high level of competency themselves. It also allows you to hear the level of the teacher's playing. There is no excuse for a teacher not being at an advanced level, and having several memorized advanced pieces at the ready for you to hear at any time. (I actually heard of a local teacher who says that she doesn't play for her students because she suffers from stage fright! She told a student she had been playing and teaching piano for 30 years. In reality, she started playing piano just 2 years ago, and is not being truthful about how long she has been playing and teaching. I guess that would give anyone "stage fright"!) Insist on hearing the teacher play at the very first meeting! (And something by Chopin, NOT just a Clementi "Sonatina"!) Ask what the name of the piece is, and who the composer is. This is common practice, ALL musicians with children ask these questions. If you ask for some Chopin, you will know you are getting a more educated teacher.
- A Good Teacher has been "Certified" by an accredited teaching organization, ie: The National Guild of Piano Teachers. Ask to see a Guild Certification that your teacher is a "Certified Music Teacher" (They are not just a member, but actually a "certified teacher" by the organization. This tells you that they have taught at least 25 students who have demonstrated that they can read and play music well, over a period of at least 6-7 years. Don't let a teacher who hasn't kept a student for at least that amount of time, and proved they have taught them well, to experiment on your student. You only have 6-12 months of your student's undivided attention before they start losing interest or feeling like a failure. Even if they do well, if they don't know how to read at the same level that they are playing, you could be headed down a horribly destructive path that can never be undone. Just long enough to completely ruin a new student, who could have been great with the proper instruction.)
- A Good Teacher will prepare your student for guild exams each year, so the teacher's work will be double checked by a guild professional. (This allows you to see how the judge rates your teacher. This is good for the student as well, as it gives validation to the length of time that your student has been studying, and all of the skills they have attained in the new year. It is also verification for a college or scholarship program, when your student applies, proving that your student has been taught by a certified teacher and evaluated by a certified judge each year.
- A Good Teacher makes sure that there are several concerts and dperformance opportunities throughout the year that you can attend. Not only should your student have the opportunity to play, if they want to, but the teacher should play as well. (Observe how well their other students are doing, so you can see where your student will be in 5-10 years.)
A Good Teacher has many students at different levels of learning. If your child is one of the most advanced students they teach, as a beginner, you have reached the limit of their teaching ability. (If they only have beginning students, you either don't have a very advanced or experienced teacher, or your teacher doesn't retain his/her students very long, a very bad sign. In either case, you need to find a teacher who works with more advanced students.)
- A Good Teacher knows his/her limitations. Until they have become a "Guild Certified Teacher", they make sure they are closely supervised by a teacher who is Certified. If they are not certified, they are usually in college or private lessons, and you can ask for a reference from a current music professor. They should be continuing to take lessons on their instrument(s), weekly, and be improving their playing and teaching skills so they can get certified. Only then should they be allowed to teach, and with close supervision on a weekly basis. (A new teacher can make a lot of critical mistakes that your child will suffer for later.) If the teacher is satisfied with being mediocre, don't be surprised if your student is satisfied with not practicing, and not becoming an excellent musician either. Your teacher has given them an example of someone who doesn't practice, doesn't follow through and finish their songs, quits lessons, and doesn't want to attain excellence. And they don't care enough to do something about it. Why would your student think they could do more?
The Best Learning Environment for Each Student
The teVelde School of Music is located in a beautiful, relaxing location with two forks of the Arroyo Grande creek on each corner of the back of our building. We open the windows and hear the water rushing down to the ocean, during the winter, and birds nesting in the tall eucalyptus trees in the summer. We do our best to remind each other to reduce all forms of stress during the lessons. We believe that if the student is happy, relaxed, and successful when learning, he/she will be more likely to want to repeat the experience of playing when they arrive at home. We also want them to have music as a form of relaxation to go to when school work or other things get tough.
The Best Technology and Equipment Available
We maintain a beautiful, organized lesson environment in each teaching room. All teaching rooms have two tuned pianos, of the best quality, a full drum kit, and amplifiers. The large teaching room has a full recording studio with the latest technology including a high-tech MIDI studio, hundreds of effects processors, and multiple computerized composing, recording, and music processing programs.
Essential Curriculum for All Teachers to Use
We maintain a large music library, both on-line, in PDF libraries, and in sheet music/book forms. All students must have immediate access to any music necessary for their education, without having to make multiple trips to the music store. We utilize our high-speed internet access to purchase and print sheet music on-line if we do not have it in our library.
Curriculum for All Students
We want our students to begin by gaining the skills, as quickly as possible, to read music quickly and accurately, as this is the main skill that must be learned well before age 13. We utilize the Dou Dou Sight Reading Method from day one, insuring that our students will be able to really connect the notes they see with the sounds they create.
All instrumental students are also put in a well-developed method for their instrument, based on the learning style of each student, and the expertise of the instrumental teacher.
Curriculum for Piano Students
For Piano students, we utilize the full Faber "Piano Adventures" Method. This method is written by experts in Piano pedagogy, is updated regularly based on current research, and insures that each student learns all phases of music, including: Theory, Technique, Artistry, and Performance. The songs in these methods are very well written, and skills are carefully graded to fit together. We have found that our students enjoy working through these method books because they identify melodies they recognize and love along the way. When a student is playing songs they love, they will be much more inclined to include music in their daily activities. When the student plays more, they attain their short and long-term goals more quickly, and stay motivated to keep coming to lessons.
The Importance of Reading Music Well
Research has shown that the number one thing that keeps students in music lessons over the long term is how well they sight read music. If they read well, they will stick with it. If they don't, they won't. Music is a language, and just as in learning English, it is critical that children not only learn to speak it, but read and write it as well. Reading music should ideally happen at the same time that children learn to read English, or their first language.
That is why we have incorporated the Dou Dou Sight Reading Method into our regular lesson regimen. It has made a significant difference in how well our students sight read rhythms, melody lines, and sheet music. They are also taught to imitate rhythms, melody lines, and music patterns by ear. This combination has been extremely successful and fun for the students. We do all of the rhythm patterns on a full drum kit, and use two pianos for all the rest.
Basic Skills Taught to All Students
We believe all music students, including those studying voice, guitar, and drums, need to develop basic music skills, i.e.: notation, rhythm, sight reading, playing by ear, instrumental and/or vocal technique, and performance presentation. In addition, we offer special classes, on a seasonal basis, that teach recording, including mixing down a demo CD and using MIDI with various computer software programs and processors, and burning your own CD. The following is a partial list of classes that are available at the teVelde School of Music:
Composing: Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced
Students learn to write
lyrics, create melody lines, chord structures, and rhythms that work
together.
Recording: Basic Engineering, Effects, Mix downs
Students can record instrumental and vocal components of their compositions, and add musical effects to create their own demo CD. They learn how to:
Record multiple tracks in layers, in a professional recording studio environment using "Sonar, Producer Edition
Listen for instruments in a given recording, and reproduce the sounds precisely in their own
Record their own instrumental tracks, creating and combining drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals w/harmonies, and effects
Mix down a given project experimenting with effects and processors to get the sound they are looking for
Create final wave, MIDI, and MP3 files of their finished work, burning the final copies on CD to play in their own CD player
Use their experience with recreating other artist's recordings to begin writing their own music
Create their own song, from beginning to end, including performing all of the instruments, and singing all vocals with harmonies
Enrolling in Lessons or Group Classes
Please indicate your interest when you fill in the
form on the Email Form. Enrollment is on a student by student basis. In
addition to these classes, we offer private instruction for ages 4*
to Adult. The styles of music we teach include Classical, Opera, Pop,
Rock, Country, Jazz, and Alternative.
* Children under 7 years old may need to take lessons with
a parent for the first year. Children of all ages are welcome to take combined
lessons with a parent, at no additional cost, and all parents are encouraged to participate
as much as they wish.
Participation in School Concerts
Participation in all events, recitals, and performances
is completely optional, and these events are structured primarily to
give those students who want a forum to practice performing in, the
opportunity to do so.
All parents must be particularly careful to refrain from sharing negative stories about their childhood experiences with performing or music lessons, as many children want to be like their parents. Fortunately, teaching methods have changed dramatically in the last 30 years, and we strive to use the most current, effective, and fun methods available.
Working with Student's Schedules and Other Activities
We understand that students of all ages have other things in their lives, and that sometimes practice isn't a priority for the week. Rather than focusing on what isn't done, we focus on the overall progress the student has made, and help the student find a sense of balancing practice with other life activities.
Custom Tailored Time Management Solutions
I teach my instructors how to help students recognize when there are real time management problems, or when they are just generally overloaded. Depending on their personal learning style, as determined by the initial testing session, we work with each student to determine the best time management strategies to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. The bottom line: I believe that music lessons can be a fun, creative, and motivational experience where the strengths of each student are recognized and emphasized. I work with my teachers to help them recognize that not everyone aspires to be a professional musician, and we work together to create a lesson plan for each student based on their personal priorities, not ours. (Some of the most rewarding times I have with music, personally, are when I have had a hard day, and I just sit down and play a relaxing piece of music for pure, personal pleasure.)
Versatility & Flexibility In Teacher's Personalities
I take special care to find and retain instructors that are as encouraging, patient, willing and able to be flexible to fit the needs of each student as I am. They modify their teaching methods based on each student's individual needs as determined by the student's goals, and learning styles identified in the initial assessment. All teachers are tested to determine their teaching style, and attend semi-monthly training sessions to continually update their knowledge of teaching each learning style.
Teachers - The Bottom Line
Our number one objective is to give our students a positive, rewarding, and enjoyable experience with music from the very first lesson on. We only have approximately 6 months with a new student to either make or break their musical success. We can not afford to make mistakes during this critical period. I consider the first 6 months of lessons to be the most important of all the lessons the student will ever have, as they set the student's confidence level, and set the tone for all lessons to follow. NO LESSONS ARE BETTER THAN A BAD EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS. I would rather teach a new 8 year old student that has never had a lesson, than a 6 year old that has had even 6 months of a negative experience.
The Teacher as a Positive Role Model
I also realize that a music teacher spends a lot of one on one time with their students, and I consider it my personal responsibility to find teachers that can be positive mentors and role models for our students. I consider my job of matching students up with teachers to be absolutely critical, and I do not ever place a student with a teacher that does not thoroughly understand that student's individual learning style.
Teacher Background Checks
All teachers have passed a thorough background check, and are required to adhere to a very strict moral & ethical code of conduct, including:
- No history of, or current problems with, alcohol abuse or misuse
- No current use, or history of use, of illegal drugs
- Absolutely no history of any sexual deviance or crime against women or children
- No criminal record of any felony
- Professional attire
- Clean vocabulary
An additional requirement for hire is that the teacher have a demonstrated, verifiable ability to teach and connect with children in a positive way.
I will NEVER have a teacher on staff that I would not trust, 100% completely, to teach my own grandchildren. This has made it very difficult to find teachers, but I would rather not have a child taught, then take a chance on having a teacher be, in any way, a negative influence on them.
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