random blah on teaching methods

[Tash]

a friend at uni has a friend at sydney conservatorium doing music education and they were having the typical debate of whether the con or unsw is better (uni of new south wales), (we are SO better!!)- and differences in learning how to teach primary school kids music- at the con they are taught the orff and kodaly methods and basically pick one to base their teaching on. at unsw we're shown ways we can base our teaching on but we can manipulate the ideas in our own ways to suit how we want to teach and what suits the students (go individuality)

just randomly, if you have any comments on this, respond!!

[abell88]

Off the top of my head I'd say ideally or theoretically I prefer your school's method. My concern would be that some new teachers (could happen to old teachers, too) if they don't have a particular "method" will end up being too random and unfocused. I think it's a good idea to have at least a core curriculum and goals, bearing in mind that there can be many routes to the same goal.

[Tash]

oh we do follow a thing- we're learning how to teach notation at the moment, and every week different people teach a song to the class and we critique their teaching methods and stuff, so we are learning how to teach 'properly' or at least have a structure

[arensky]

Off the top of my head I'd say ideally or theoretically I prefer your school's method. My concern would be that some new teachers (could happen to old teachers, too) if they don't have a particular "method" will end up being too random and unfocused. I think it's a good idea to have at least a core curriculum and goals, bearing in mind that there can be many routes to the same goal.

I agree. Every teacher has to develop their own way of teaching; to slavishly follow a prexisting method is the sign of no real thought or interest on the teacher's part. Shallow teaching will bring shallow results. Many teachers who adhere to a certain system acheive remarkable results, but they are individuals within that system; they are adapting the system to their own method, whether they know it or not. There are certain things that must be done but if one way works better for a given student and/or teacher, that's the thing to do. This has probably been posted somewhere before, but here's what piano students neeed to do, IMO....

1. IT MUST SOUND LIKE MUSIC.............. "musical"
2. IT MUST BE ACCURATE........................"correct notes cleanly"
3. THE STUDENT MUST GAIN LITERACY...."ability to read music"

Anyone care to add more?