Posted by swami guide on September 09, 2002 at 03:25:13:
In Reply to: Re: Student-A Dilemma posted by Steve H. on September 08, 2002 at 22:29:04:
I think you should encourage this. Jake used to talk about improving sound, technique etc thru music. Always thinking about the song can do some good. Since you are an experienced teacher, you already know this...you have to try different things to reach that student. Everyone approaches things differently. What is the age of the student? If she is in HS, is she looking to pursue it into college. I sometimes factor this in when I am deciding how hard to push. I might try to make up some scale exercises that attack specific problems, and sneak them in. All-District auditions have a scale requirement, and I strongly encourage students not to throw away points in that category by learning scales early and thorough. I sometimes implement a free lesson if a certain score is obtained(which has never been met, but has come close a few times)...this does lead me to discuss some work ethic issues with them.
Back to your issue...I think you should spend some time trying different ways to get your point across. Helping your student understand that she has to have basic control over the instrument to play any music well. Have your student listen to Patrick Sheridan and Sam Pilafian and other great soloists and tell her that the could not play that way without the basics of scales and slurs. Doing scales, and long tones and slurs help us achieve that. Maybe you can find a way to make the fundamentals fun to practice, and make some incentives, too. I wouldn't threaten to drop the student...I am sure you can still help them, and maybe slowly you can pull them to your way. Don't give up...keep going until you can pass her along to another teacher when she graduates and moves on to college(and is graded on scale work). I am not really concerned with what others think of my teaching, based on how my students perform when they move on. Sometimes they just don't try hard enough, and it could reflect on my teaching, but I don't care. When a student doesn't achieve under me, I think it reflects more on them, than on me. Either way, I can only help them as much as they allow me to help. I give all of my students the same information(basically), its up to them to do something with it. most do, some don't...but I keep trying to convince them to work harder. I want my students to do well for them, not for me...and I will try anything I can to help them out.