How important is it to have a music teacher?
by Zeilver on October 04th
Hello Zeilver here, coming back to you LIVE once again from King George’s Music Academy!
Today we are bringing to you the tenth episode of a series we call- The Knowledge Pearls Initiative (KPI).
The KPI would be bite-size knowledge content centered around music, music creation as well as music playing.
Wish to improve your music knowledge? Wishing to learn more about questions that aren’t explored as much as it should be? You have come to the right place.
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THIS WEEK’S
KNOWLEDGE PEARL
What makes a teacher, a good teacher?
Everyone has had a teacher that they remember fondly while they were growing up. It might even be someone that is currently teaching you now.
The teacher(s) that first pops into your head associated with warm memories are usually the ones that have made you feel that they have given their 100%, but somehow they always managed to turn around and surpass that expectations somehow.
These are the teachers that have impacted your life, but what was it that made you remember them well?
Was it how they always managed to explain all the tough concepts in such an easy to understand way?
Was it how they have always seemed to understand you, not just as a student but personally as well?
Or was it that they always demonstrate great patience even though you are just unable to grasp certain things after multiple explanations?
For all that they have done for us, it is clear that a good teacher does make the learning easier, brightening the experience along the way.
The 8 qualities to have in a good Music Teacher
At this point, you must be wondering, “isn’t this article supposed to tell me how does a good music teacher enable me to learn music well?”
Rest assured, I would break down what makes a music teacher, an efficient & effective music teacher and then how it helps a music student learn and effectively master an instrument!
Having a genuine love for Music
Having a genuine love for music is essential for all music teachers, and the best music teachers aren’t just passionate for the specific genre(s) that they teach, but music as an art as a whole!
People, especially children, usually respond well to teachers who show genuine enthusiasm. A teacher who loves music, can help you to love it too.
Not just in lessons that they personally find exciting but in all the lesson types as well!
How does this help?
Learning music may be hard work, but music lessons doesn’t have to be a depressing experience
When a teacher is dedicated and enthusiastic to their craft and their students, it would make them go the extra mile for you and your education.
By doing so, they can make learning and exploring music (e.g. new genres) easier to understand and fun because of the love of music!
This also helps to nurture younger students by motivating them to practice and become more engaged with lessons.
A High Degree of Patience
To be an effective teacher, not just a music teacher, 3 qualities are a definite must-have.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
People-Oriented
Lots and lots of Patience
Everyone learns at different paces, which also means they would develop their musical capabilities at different speeds and some students might not grasp the same important concepts immediately.
Being an effective music teacher would mean
being able to identify what key problems that student might be facing that’s holding them from their progress.
being able to give constructive criticism to enable them to improve and surpass themselves.
How does this help?
Learning and mastering an instrument takes time, patience and lots of practice and an effective music teacher knows that. That is why an excellent teacher never fails to provide the support and belief in their students of all music abilities, and this gives students the extra motivation and push to go further.
Making the effort to know their students
Everyone is different, hence it is also true that they would respond differently to a structured lesson type.
The best music instructors never forget the importance of fundamentals in learning and understand that the basic elements like breathing, posture and hand positioning must be maintained and reinforced as they grow with their instrument.
An above-and-beyond music teacher will show care to their student, as a person and as a musician, about their progression and growth!
How does this help?
By communicating the struggles and joys of learning an instrument, an effective music teacher would help their student understand and develop reasonable goals for the students to work at a pace that shit their personal musical ability.
Value the importance of Fundamentals
The best music teachers will never forget the importance of fundamentals!
They understand that reinforcement of basic elements like hand positions, body posture, breathing techniques etc must be maintained as the student grows with their instrument.
They also understand that basic music theory shapes the way these students, especially children, in the way they understand, relate to as well as personalize music as they mature as musicians.
How does this help?
Understanding these core lessons’ relevance and revisiting them so as to reinforce them whenever necessary, helps a teacher to solidify their students’ foundation to be solid and unshakable.
Organizational Skills
When taking lessons with a music teacher that has other students under their tutelage or even a music teacher that is with a school, the lessons would be taking place within a certain time slot as they have other students .
A well organized music teacher, would be attentive to the time while guiding the student from one task to the next so as to be able to achieve productivity throughout the lesson.
How does this help?
Having great organizational skills would also mean that your teacher is able to help better structure the lesson to your music goals and targets.
They are great at communication
Music is filled with complex theories and concepts that can be difficult to teach and explain.
Efficient music teachers are able to teach subjects in a way that is comprehensive yet brief, leaving the students with more than enough time to practice and clarify about any questions that they may have.
The current practice for many music teachers is to keep the explanations clear but short, and letting the students “feel” it from the music.
How does this help?
The ability to come up with creative yet different ways to explain a concept shows the teacher’s understanding and acknowledgement of the fact that “everyone learns differently”.
Teaching in different ways till their student grasps the concepts shows dedication.
Getting students to open up to a teacher, not just a music teacher, is being approachable. By having students come to the music teacher on questions that are unclear on, will allow the teacher to see what the challenges they are facing and how to target them effectively.
Demonstrates Lifelong Learning
Every musician knows that music learning is a lifelong journey and every responsible music teacher should seek out opportunities to improve themselves and their students.
Listening to new genres of music, taking lessons and asking questions from their peers shows a thirst of knowledge and humility.
How does this help?
Effective music teachers are unafraid of sharing this insight to their students and promoting the belief that musicians of all levels of proficiency can always strive for improvement!
Grooming the students to be independent
An excellent music teacher will know and acknowledge that if they did their job right, they would no longer be needed.
By doing their jobs well, it helps students to achieve progress that allows them independence to find their personalized music style.
The ability to recognize when it is time for the advanced students to move on, and helping them to develop a solid foundation of skills that will serve them well as they continue on their music journey, is a quality of a masterful instructor.
Curious to know how to qualify a music school after knowing what makes a good music teacher?
Find out more with us!
Choosing a Music School Part 1
Choosing a Music School Part 2
Choosing a Music School Part 3
Thank you for coming to our KPI this week!
Coming next week:
“How do I find the right music teacher for me?”
Do share this content to all your friends and family if they are still sitting on the fence between having a music teacher or not!
Thank you for supporting us thus far, but the Knowledge Pearls Initiative will be having a name change soon. Look forward to it!
In the meantime, do drop us a like, share and comment on any “what if” or “how to” knowledge pearls you would like us to take a crack at !
