your role as a teacher

[Tash]

i'm just thinking about teaching philosophies at the moment, and the role of the teacher, and just wanted to hear some of your thoughts on your purpose etc? thanks all!

[jeremyjchilds]

The teacher as mentor...

-not praiser
-not friend
-not cop
-not critic

there's probably way more, but I need to spend more time thinking about it

[Bob]

The teacher guides and controls the learning.

In the beginning, the teacher is very much in control -- do this, this way, this many times, for this long.  For an advanced student, the teacher is offering more guidiance and is making suggestions of what the student should do.

On the practical side, part of what a teacher does is simply keeping the student on track and practicing.

I think the primary role is to pass on knowledge and skills, but the teacher can also influence a student by being a role model -- The idea of the teacher helping the student realize their full potential and be well rounded.  (No pressure on the teacher there, huh? )

On the other side, in the real practical world, teaching is a profession.  A teacher offers a service and operates like a business.  This means the teacher does things to earn money and can only do so much -- there are limits to what a teacher can do.  While a teacher should inspire a student to realize their dreams, the teacher has to work with the abilities of the student, the parents, and the situation that they teach in.

I think a major goal of a teacher is to get the student to work independently.  A student should be picking things up so that that student can use those ideas and skills on their own without the teacher.  Otherwise, the student will be stuck at one level, tied to the teacher for assistance.

Esp with the younger kids, a teacher should make sure they have a good experience.  This can be at the expense of the music -- You could drill a kid and get them to achieve a lot but they might not enjoy the experience.  Since most kids aren't going on in music, it is important they enjoy the experience they do have with it.

[Tash]

thanks people, nice responses- surely there's more teachers in this forum who have thoughts on what they're doing?!
oh i should probably mention, i'm talking about school music teacher as well as private piano teaching, or maybe just teaching in general...

[maryruth]

Since 99% of all music students are doing it for recreational purposes, my main goal, no matter how long they take lessons, is to help them be as fluent at sightreading as possible.  If someone takes lessons for 2 years and at the end can't figure out how to play something by themselves what have they got from those two years?  Absolutely nothing except the memories.