Playing other instruments

[keyofc]

I am wondering how many teachers on the forum play other instruments.
If you do - do you think it's helpful in teaching?

[ajspiano]

Guitar (and derivatives [bass, banjo, uke etc.]), Drums, Clarinet..

Have dabbled in violin, tuba, harmonica.

I'll sing publicly if I have to..

do you think it's helpful in teaching?

Yes.

[quantum]

While piano is my main instrument, I have studied many others.  Some I have dabbled in, some taken more serious study.  Organ and clarinet are my main secondary instruments.  

I've also studied under teachers that were multi-instrumentalists and those who were mono-instrumentalists.  In almost every case the multi-instrumentalist teachers had a much more rounded education, and had a better understanding and appreciation of varied perspectives.  It is one thing to study an instrument on paper, like in an orchestration course.  It is a complete different concept to physically touch an instrument, learn to play it, and express music with it. 

Piano has some peculiar quirks or "pianisms" particular to the expression of music on the instrument.  Some of these are so heavily engrained in the canon of piano teaching that it often goes unsaid that such methods are specific to the piano, and may not be particular to every instrument or ensemble.  

I've found some piano-only pianists, find it hard to work with methods of musical expression that differ than that used on the piano because they have not made the effort to understand the alternate perspective of the other instruments.  

Piano is very successful at being a solo instrument, and the nature of that beast can also be its downfall.  Many orchestral players take up a second instrument as an accepted part in studying their craft.  They learn early on how to navigate the differences and similarities of instruments and instrument families.  

Do I think studying other instruments is helpful in teaching?  Without a doubt, absolutely so!

[keyofc]

Thanks AJ and Quantum,

Think I'll learn drums - even though I've been playing piano all my life and teaching it.
Can't hurt my rhythm!

[ajspiano]

Drums are a lot of fun I think, though infinitely more fun only if you are able to work with a band of some kind. I banged out a lot of greenday tunes when I was learning, later I was in a hip hop group. I fell into drums because my friends and I wanted to start a band and I was the only person who could do something even remotely rhythmical straight away.

I've been meaning to try applying drum rudiments to piano improv situations for a while.. i have this strange unfounded idea that I might get something interesting if I learn to play paradiddles using within 1 hand (with fingers) rather than between hands.

I tend to find that in the teaching scenario that guitar is my best friend when working with pop/modern students.

[Bob]

Yes.  Different ways of producing the sound.  Different things you focus more on with other instruments, like pitch for string instruments. 

Different styles of music.

Drum set for very precise rhythm for sure.