$ 6HTXHQWLDO $SSURDFK IRUWKH ,QWHUPHGLDWH &HOOLVW DQGRWKHUVWULQJSOD\HUV by Robert Jesselson Part I – Overview !e intermediate level teacher must set high standards and have a Part II – A Sequential Approach to Exercises clear understanding of how to teach all aspects of technique. Part III – A Sequential Approach to Etudes E"ective string teachers for the intermediate-level student (to be featured on astaweb.com in June) must be far more than just good players on their instruments. !ey have to be good communicators who understand the learn- According to the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, “the ing process and are aware of how the brain works. !ey also rhythms of education are in three stages: romance, precision, recognize di"erent personalities and various styles of learning. and generalization.” Studies of successful performers have shown E"ective teachers must have a well organized pedagogical system that many of them have been taught by a succession of teachers that works, including good materials and clear sequencing. !ey who embody these three stages. !e beginning teacher nurtures have to balance the right amount of technique and repertoire, the romance of the instrument and the joy of music; the second as well as the big picture and the small picture. Good teachers teacher is the technician who helps to build technique and instill have to be well organized with short- and long-term goals for the discipline; the third teacher is the artist-teacher who is able to student and help to plan week to week and month to month, as inspire the student to artistic heights and may act as a coach and well as organizing recitals, competitions, auditions, etc. !ey have inspiration, rather than as a strict pedagogue. to set standards for the students and help them to establish a code !is article will focus on the pedagogy for intermediate level of self-discipline. !ey also have to be very patient and help the students. !e term “intermediate student” here means a young students deal with the inevitable frustrations that they encounter cellist who has played for a few years, perhaps having started in a when learning something as complex as playing a string instru- public school program. !e student may be playing through fourth ment. And, sometimes, they need to be counselors for their position but is motivated to become a better player, requiring students. In short, they should be psychologists, physiologists, individual attention. He or she is probably not very clear-thinking sociologists, and philosophers in addition to the obvious—being about what he or she is doing technically and has not been exposed experts on instrument technique and literature, and competent in to the kind of self-discipline required for playing on a higher level. musicology and music theory. !e studio teacher for this level of student is responsible !ere is so much material for a young musician to learn, and for establishing a good technical and musical foundation for the if the intermediate level teacher is not well organized then some developing string player. !is role includes providing a thorough important material may be left out or forgotten. Figure one (see understanding of left-hand and right-hand techniques, building page 33: A Global Syllabus for a Musician) is a partial list of some good work habits, instilling self discipline, and expecting consis- of the many topics which must be addressed by the teacher of tency. !e goal of creating a secure technical and musical founda- the intermediate level student. !ese include technical, musical, tion is achieved through a healthy diet of scales and arpeggios, organizational, and general musicianship issues. On the technical exercises, etudes, and a gradual journey through the literature. side, this involves a good foundation of basic issues such as the best _$PHULFDQ6WULQJ7HDFKHU_0D\ placement of the instrument, the bow hold, and an understand- at least some time on each of these four parts in every lesson. If I ing of the geography of the left hand. Beyond that, it includes the neglect to touch any of these items in a lesson, then the students development of balance, strength, endurance, e#ciency, relaxation, will assume that they do not need to spend their time on these in etc. Speci$c issues for each hand must be addressed: right hand, their practicing. If they know that the scales and exercises have (tone production, string crossings, all the di"erent bow strokes, a high priority in the lesson, then they will make sure that they etc) and left hand, (intonation, vibrato, articulation, etc). On the come in prepared. As the semester progresses, I spend more time musical side, the e"ective teacher must work with the student on on the etudes and pieces. Since intermediate level students gener- issues such as phrasing, using rhythm to enhance expression, style, ally prefer to work more on their repertoire, I need to send them and performance practice. Nothing can be taken for granted— the a strong message about the importance of scales and exercises by e"ective teacher cannot assume that even the most “obvious” issues letting them know that we will always begin the lesson with these. have been discussed by past teachers or understood by the student. I $nd that the consistency of this plan is actually comforting to On the organizational side, teachers need to make sure that the the students. !ere is no discussion about what to start with for student knows how to practice, how to prepare for a performance, the lesson—they begin with scales and exercises and then feel and how to work with an accompanist, and other things. In addi- ready to tackle etudes and pieces. So, there are no “surprises” at tion, intermediate students need to be exposed to the important the beginning of a lesson. It is a regular routine. !ere is even a building blocks of music in order for them to truly understand little ritual in which I move the music stand away as they tune, so what they are playing and to prepare them to make good musical that when they “perform” the scale and arpeggio, there is nothing decisions as mature artists. !ey must have a basic understanding to hide behind. !ey become accustomed to this and feel less anx- of music theory and history, as well as an understanding of form ious when they are performing other music by memory without analysis and, at least, rudimentary piano skills. And beyond all of anything between them and the audience. !e regularity of this these things, the intermediate teacher must help the budding artist routine feels as normal as brushing one’s teeth in the morning. begin to develop a musical “philosophy” based on their knowledge !e purpose of each of these four parts of the lesson should of the world and their own life experiences. be quite obvious. Intermediate students need to have a solid So, how is this all possible? How can a teacher cover all the grounding in the basic building blocks of music: scales and arpeg- necessary material in the short amount of time that they work gios. !ey need to know multiple di"erent scale $ngerings and with a student? Every teacher has their own style of teaching, scale systems. Once they have “mastered” all of the keys in one and most teachers will work di"erently with di"erent students. scale system, from memory with good intonation, they should In addition, everyone has their own approach to pedagogy and then move on to another system that gives di"erent options. technique. Nevertheless, the material should be covered in some I prefer to focus on one key per week for the scale and associ- kind of logical, sequential, and consequential manner which may ated arpeggios. In this way, the student can explore in depth the di"er from teacher to teacher. Ultimately it is the responsibility of vagaries of that key by solidifying the intonation, exploring bow the teacher to cover all this material in one way or another. contact point issues associated with particular notes in the key, Since it is the responsibility of the teacher to cover all this and stabilizing shifts for several days in succession. !erefore, it material, the teacher must be organized and e#cient with the use of should take 12 weeks to get through one system if the student lesson time. Too often string teachers fall into something that I call brings in one key each week. “random teaching,” with no sense of a “grand plan” in taking the I have collected dozens of di"erent systems of scales and students through what they need in a particular lesson and through- arpeggios. !ese include the standard two, three and four octave out the year. !ere is certainly a place for the kind of improvisational systems, universal $ngering systems, scales up one string, speed teaching in which a teacher reacts to the moment or works on what scales, systems by Galamian, Feuilliard, Krastev and others, plus the student wants to do rather than leading them in a well thought many alternate systems. Figure two (see page 33: Sequential out and logical approach. !is may occur in a one-time master class Approach to Scales and Arpeggios) is a chart of the main scale situation, or if a student comes for a sample lesson, or occasionally systems that I use in sequence during the $rst several years of as the need or situation warrants. But if a teacher is responsible for work with an intermediate level student. Depending on how long the growth of a student for a period of time, it is important to have a student studies with me they will get through many di"erent a clearly thought out plan for that student.