Today, I Confess: Sometimes Action is Shallow
In the preface to his book, Intelligent Music Teaching, Robert Duke makes a quip about the typical music teacher conference experience, saying,
"...to leave the room with nothing more than a new activity for Monday, with no greater understanding of the fundamental principles of human learning... is to leave the room without having learned anything of lasting value."
This key observation comes just TWO PAGES into Duke's must-read collection of essays (available on my Favorites list). "This is not how experts think in their disciplines", he says.
The more I work with teachers, the more I am troubled by the distracting nature of ACTION.
Many teachers - myself included - are tempted to build collections of activities. We mistakenly believe the key to better teaching is always one book/subscription/app away.
Hear me: I'm all for activities. Give me ALL the books. 🤗
...and yet, if we haven't done the heavy MENTAL lifting to understand the why's, when's, and how's behind the activities we're planning, the end result will be quite shallow.
As someone with the utmost respect for piano teaching as a profession, it makes me sad to admit Duke is right:
There are too many of us who settle for the shiny promise of one new activity, instead of investing in the discovery of how our students learn and how we can improve our delivery of information.
We all have students who struggle because of their dependency on instant gratification. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but friends: we're exactly the same way.
For example, which is more compelling: A package of 10 done-for-you lesson plans, or a 10-week study on how the brain processes new information? 🧐
(I should note: since deepening the way we think about our work is a core mission of Beyond Measure, I'm likely preaching to the choir on this one. If you didn't like to think about these things, you probably wouldn't be here).
Even still, I hope you begin to take note of the shallow promises of action that surround us every day.
If you are ready to invest in DEEPER teacher thoughts, I'd like to invite you to check out the Studio Foundations Course.
This offer is especially timely, as next week (May 19, 20, and 22), I'll be running a series of LIVE "lunchtime" sessions where I lead teachers through fundamental principles of teaching that are often glossed-over in other teacher resources.
You'll receive access to the entire pre-recorded course any time you buy, but THIS is your chance to work through the material in real time with other real teachers.
The Studio Foundations Course begins with a BONUS lesson on the three fundamental questions every teacher should answer. Then, we dive into 14 foundational principles that keep us satisfied and effective in this work.
These principles were carefully selected as often-overlooked, fundamental elements of successful music teaching:
- No. 1: We All Have Something to Offer
- No. 2: Our Most Important Job*
- No. 3: Students WILL Prioritize Pitch Over Rhythm (so we must do the opposite)
- No. 4: Experience Before Label
- No. 5: The Hardest Truth*
- No. 6: PLAY as the Work of the Music Student
- No. 7: Saying It ≠ Learning It
- No. 8: The Teacher is the Method
- No. 9: The Sum of the Whole Experience
- No. 10: Understanding the Beginner's Perspective
- No. 11: Respect Copyright. Always.
- No. 12: Your LIFELINE to Satisfaction*
- No. 13: Experience is the Best Teacher
- No. 14: Other Teachers are Your Colleagues, NOT Your Competition
*Find out more inside the course!
FOR THIS WEEK ONLY: Save $15 with code lunchpd.
I'm BEYOND excited to spend a few hours with our Foundations Course Alumni (and some new faces as well!) next week.
Eligible participants will receive a Zoom link on Monday morning (05.19), and our first Lunchtime PD Session will kick off at 12:30pm eastern.
🥂 May we be increasingly keen to distinguish between shallow activities and true command over the art of teaching. 🥂