| Author |
Subject |
emerald
Registered
User
(5/3/01 5:06:17 am)
Reply |
studying with post graduate students
Hi,
Im studying in a music
conservatory and I'm studying cello as a minor.
I was assigned a
teacher who is a masters student in the conservatory as well. She is
a wonderful teacher and has been inspiring me, ( i wanna be just
like her!) but
today someone said to me that I should get a
proper teacher,(i.e someone older and more experienced)
This girl
who is a couple of yrs older than me has inspired me a lot and
motivated me to practice, but I'm not too sure about 'student
teachers' as opposed to the older teachers.
I like her because
compared to previous teachers I've had she's open minded to my ideas
and opinions and really listens to me and wants to help me. I find
that the so called 'proper teachers' in the school tend to be very
fixed on their ideas and want things done their way. I guess it's
good in a way, but somehow I find younger teachers more
refreshing.
Any opinions about 'student teachers?' as opposed to
the 'older' teachers?
|
Ellen
G 
Registered
User
(5/3/01 7:35:54 am)
Reply |
Hmmm...
I'm not a conservatory student, as
you know, but I find it interesting that a lot of cello/music
students are "subjected" to so few teachers. I know this is an
overly-broad statement and I'm sure a lot of you have lists of
teachers you've studied with. But a lot of us -- or especially
school kids -- get one string teacher, one cellist, that mentors
them for years. I am extremely fond of my teacher, but I have
learned an awful lot by working with another cellist on occasion.
There are multiple ways to approach things, and having only one
perspective can be detrimental. If a teacher avoids particular
repertoire out of personal dislike, you can be missing a valuable
piece of student literature. If they are lacking in technique, or
have no imagination musically, how are you going to develop it?
I worked on a piece recently and there were two schools of
thought (at least) on how to treat the dots over the notes, whether
to take them off the string or not. It made a big difference, not
just in the flow of the piece but also how much of my practice went
into working on the off-the-string technique which may not have
added a thing to the work musically. In an exercise book I was
having trouble with something and discussed it with another cellist
who said he never teaches the exercise that way, and proceeded to
explain what he recommends, and why.
While I admit it can be
confusing if you get too many conflicting notions of how to do
something, I think it is beneficial to broaden one's horizons. With
instruments, with bows, with teachers, there's a tendency for
students to be "outfitted" with one and stick with it. Granted, many
people don't have other options due to logistics.
I suppose
therein lies more reason to explore master classes, workshops,
summer camps.
I don't find young people to be less valuable
as teachers, or older people to be better because they have more
experience. There are a lot of people who have been at this a long
time who are sorely lacking in ability but have found a niche
teaching with nobody to question what they are doing, and people who
think they know more than they do. If you are unhappy with your
progress and development, it's time to seek out other options. If
you are moving in the direction you want to go, communicating well,
connecting, that sounds like a good thing to me! Just an opinion, as
always. E
Edited by: Ellen
G
at: 5/3/01 7:35:54 am
|
emerald
Registered
User
(5/3/01 7:59:59 am)
Reply |
Re:
Hmmm...
Hi Ellen G, thanks for your opinion.
Well u
know what it's like. It's just that today someone questioned me and
said 'oh so-and-so thinks u should get a proper teacher' it just
didnt dawn on me so much that I was being taught by a post graduate
student and not just by a stern old man (I'm SERIOUSLY stereo typing
here, just for u to get the picture)
I'm learning loads from the
person who is teaching me now, and well i'm happy so I'm sticking
with her, but I was just wondering what views/experiences u ppl had
on fresh postgraduates teaching conservatory level
students/
|
jekerry
Registered User
(5/3/01 11:15:27 am)
Reply |
age
isn't everything . . .
Eventually you will end up taking
lessons on something from someone younger then you! As you age, that
just happens. I find that I like young teachers just as much as
older ones, and often I like them better. Sometimes teachers can
become bored and thus not really think about what they are doing. If
you are REALLY lucky you'll find a teacher with age, wisdom, grace
and knowledge, but most of us are happy with a teacher that has
knowledge and an agreeable personality. If you like your teacher and
you are improving, be happy! But keep your eyes open for the sage
mentioned above.
I've got a grad student teaching me right
now and she's taught me more in a year than all my other cello
teachers combined. Go figure. Maybe I've just gotten to a point in
my life that I listen, maybe she's a talented instructed. Who cares?
I'm learning and I'm happy.
Good luck,
Jane
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