Music lessons must be fun

Around seventy very different texts were received in response to this survey in the short period of just ten days. This wonderful wealth of responses shows just how much music education knowledge and expertise comes together in our association, and how many individual priorities the individual members set.
The SMPV members agree that the teacher must have a good command of their instrument, that they should also perform themselves as often as possible and that they must know subtle stylistic differences. They are expected to enjoy teaching. More than half of the responses state that music lessons should be fun.

The members disagree as to whether the responsibility for good music lessons lies solely with the teacher, or how much the pupils have to contribute, how important good framework conditions provided by the music school are, and whether the attitude and cooperation of the parents also have a significant influence on the quality of the lessons for children and young people.

The qualities that individual teachers consider particularly important depend heavily on their own situation, whether they teach school-age children at a music school or whether their class consists almost exclusively of adults, or whether their focus is on early music education. Those who only know individual lessons have a different focus than those who give group lessons and teach chamber music. The instrument someone teaches also influences the focus they set; a pianist finds a good, well-tuned instrument particularly important, while good acoustics in the classroom are more important to a singer.

I will now try to puzzle together the many points of view into a recipe for the ideal music lesson, whereby it should not go unmentioned that a good music teacher constantly rethinks and sometimes changes their point of view.

If I quote colleagues, their names are in brackets.

Recipe for good music lessons

Part 1 The music teacher

For good music lessons, you need a music teacher who is well trained on their instrument and who is passionate about music, their instrument and teaching.
She is very technically proficient on her instrument and is able to teach this technique to a wide variety of students in a way that is individually tailored to them. She has a "magic box" from which she can always pull out tricks on how to solve supposedly very difficult technical problems with ease. Thanks to her analytical ear and alert eyes, she recognizes technical problems right from the start and then builds bridges over the dangerous spots together with the students. She is stylistically confident and is good at conveying stylistic subtleties, allowing students to experience for themselves which accents, dynamics and agogics are best for getting into the flow in a particular style. "Music lessons that open the ears to different musical styles enable musicians to discover their preferences. It is important to offer as wide a range of music as possible in music lessons." (Susanna Fröhlich-Baumann)
The music teacher is empathetic, benevolent, patient and humorous and treats the pupils as equals, always giving them the feeling that she respects and appreciates them, and that when she criticizes something, she always means the thing and not the person. It is important to her "that her students feel comfortable in class. That's why she addresses tensions and then advises them to change teachers or instruments." (Elisabeth Buess) "She packs everything into small and tiny steps so that there is a sense of achievement for the pupils." (Agathe Jerie) "She helps the students to overcome blockages that prevent them from expressing the music they feel deep inside." (Irene Abrigo) She guides the students to repeatedly detach themselves from the musical text and improvise, and she teaches them to listen carefully. She prepares her lessons carefully, but is able to deviate from the concept if the situation requires it. Her lessons are individually adapted to each pupil and she makes sure "that the pupils do not copy her, but that they find their own personal way of playing." (Barbara Wappmann)

She moves confidently between under- and overstraining the students and consistently pays attention to breathing, posture and relaxation and teaches techniques to improve these. She remains curious and arouses the students' curiosity about the music. She communicates her expectations of the students transparently, showing them what she expects of them and giving them confidence. "Together with the pupils, she regularly discusses what they have already achieved, what they want to work on next and what the next goal could be." (André Lottaz) She also gives them clear, realistic tasks to practise. In the case of children, she also involves their parents where possible. She encourages her pupils to make music with others and also shows them that auditioning is not a test where you have to get everything right, but that it is an opportunity to share your music with others and that it is fun.

End of the first part of the recipe for good music lessons. To be continued!