A Soprano On Her Head: Chapter 5
Emily Cottam
Chapter Summary: “Music lessons... can be dangerous for us... The pat on the back [from the teacher] becomes more important than the music...” There is always another side of us that wants to rebel against what the teacher/coach wants--you can direct this energy creatively and emotionally channel it into your performance to give it extra commitment. Teachers can often fall into the pattern of trying to teach every student the same way, when every student learns in a unique way, so this is counterproductive. Teachers also need to be careful about the way they go about offering criticism of a student’s playing--it needs to be encouraging rather than discouraging. This can also be made possible by assigning the student music that is challenging but not so difficult as to put them off of music. When a student is struggling to learn under the instruction of a particular teacher, it’s not a matter of learning or teaching disability, but of “understanding disability,” where the teacher struggles to find a way to teach the student that coincides with their learning habits.
Key Concepts: Teacher and student connection--Understanding the student’s learning style and accommodating them with an adjusted teaching style.
Key Terms: “Understanding disability”
Making Connections: This is applicable in my voice lessons, because I’ve noticed that when I’m struggling to understand a concept (to help me reach high notes, for example), Brianna will try different ways to explain what she wants me to do until I understand her. For instance, even the language she used (saying “fall onto the note” rather than “think deep in your body”) was adjusted to help me understand the idea.
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