One of my goals as a teacher is to teach my students to teach themselves. After all, I only get to spend an hour a week (most weeks) with each student but they each get to spend 168 hours a week with themselves!

I can easily teach the importance of technical work, musicality, learning, performing, etc. But I can’t easily teach them how to manage the process. That I can only model that and hope they take it on.

I can model assessing the elements, the pieces, the whole. But more importantly, I want to model highlighting the good, eliciting more of what is working, and gently correcting what needs it. Sometimes this is easy. Sometimes it is a trial.

The easy part is easy. Praise is effortless to deliver.

I have been fortunate to have only studied with teachers who used this nurturing approach. I’ve never had a teacher yell at me or make points by beating the tempo with a stick or imply that my failure to grasp a concept clearly results from a character flaw. They have all modeled a positively focused learning and I try to emulate them by being encouraging (including breathing while asking in my mind what each of them would do at this point to help my student move forward!).

The trial part is a challenge. Focusing on the important elements with a push is better than screaming (no matter how frustrated I may become). But most importantly is to model taking on correction without censure or reproach. I never want to make a student cry. But more importantly, I never want a student to make themselves cry!

When you’re teaching yourself [that is when you are practicing or playing] be sure to speak to yourself with kindness. You want to highlight and correct. Critique and cry might make good movies (e.g. Whiplash, 2014) but it’s not productive for most in the long run. This doesn’t mean overlooking things that need work – you will always be working. Each time you master one thing, it will highlight that other elements are not there yet because we are constantly growing and improving. It also doesn’t mean not doing all the things you know you need to do – repetitions, drills, focus, listening – just do them as a building phase not as destruction.

No matter where you are in your pursuit of music, that’s where you are. You’ll only make progress by looking forward – by looking up. What nice things do you say to you to help you progress? I’d love to hear it!