Recipe for good music lessons

Many thanks to the colleagues who responded so numerously to my first survey at the beginning of November and the second at the beginning of January. The great interest in the „recipe for good music lessons“ and the quality of the responses show what great potential there is in the SMPV, and that music teachers do not just teach as the layman might imagine, but that they plan their music education work carefully, put their heart and soul into it and regularly reflect on their attitude to it and that of others involved.
If I quote an SMPV member, their name appears in brackets.

The pupils

The ideal music teacher would have two to three handfuls of different pupils of different ages. Ideally, they are all curious about music and the instrument, and they have chosen it consciously and not just because their parents wanted them to. They are open-minded and respond to what the teacher tells them, but they don't blindly trust the teacher either, they are able to sense what is right for them and what is not. Adult pupils in particular should respect their teachers but not „guruize“ them. „They are honest with the teacher and tell them whether they have practiced or not. Then the teacher can adapt to the situation.“ (Nadia Minder)
It is an advantage if they are talented and musical. It doesn't matter whether they were born with this talent or whether they develop a sense for heavy and light tones, phrasing and the agogics and dynamics appropriate to a particular style by listening to a wide variety of music in different styles and working with the music teacher.

They have musical aspirations and goals and a certain ambition to achieve these goals, which gives them the motivation to practise without developing an unhealthy doggedness. Depending on their age, they learn to work independently and to ask the teacher for help when they reach their limits. „Pupils contribute to the quality of teaching through their active engagement, their ability to work independently and their willingness to engage in a challenging, sometimes uncomfortable process.“ (Hekmat Homsi)
They have the courage to try out different things, to improvise and to always interpret individual passages slightly differently in order to find out which interpretation feels most harmonious and when - all within the framework of their current technical capabilities. They understand that without a healthy dose of diligence, their technical skills will not improve, but that if they expand them, they will have many more tools at their disposal to create the desired colors and sounds.
They enjoy making music - alone but also in collaboration with others, be it in orchestras and choirs or in smaller formations. Ideally, they enjoy or develop more pleasure in singing or auditioning than they are afraid of, and they have the courage to let go of sheet music and sing and play from memory.

They are patient if something doesn't work straight away and try again and again.
„I would like parents and students to develop a greater understanding that learning is not an instant download like a ChatGPT prompt, but a process that requires patience, perseverance and repeated practice.“ (Kateryna Timokhina)

Music lessons are particularly successful when they are eager to play, a little cheeky, headstrong, but also sensitive and passionate, and when they can not only play but also listen to themselves and others.

The parents

Season with parents who support their children in their musical endeavors without putting them under pressure with unnecessarily high goals.
However, they can demand a certain amount of perseverance from their children when practicing.
„I was impressed by what the cyclist Marlen Reusser told me: she really wanted to learn the violin as a child. Her parents told her she could if she stuck with it for two years and practiced for 20 minutes every day. So she did, practiced even more and joined the music class. She later decided to go cycling, but music remains a resource.“ (Ursula Krummen Schönholzer)

It is motivating for the pupils when their parents listen to them - at home but also at auditions. Honest praise is good, and if something really goes wrong, benevolent criticism and words of encouragement can also help. It is beneficial if music lessons and practicing have a fixed place in the child's weekly schedule that is not touched and if the parents show the child that they respect their music teacher.
To be continued