Do We Practice What We Teach?: Reframing the learning process
Originally posted on October 12, 2021 on the Imperfect Authentic Blog (imperfectauthentic.com)
Teaching has always brought me great joy. Even as a child, I was often playing school or teacher, because the whole learning process felt fun to me! So, becoming a private violin teacher seemed like a natural transition, and I actually don't feel like I'm "working" when I'm teaching a lesson. Instead, I feel like I'm learning from my interactions with students. I may discover new strategies to introduce concepts or I find different ways of communicating with children. I realize, often through trial and error, what motivates students and what can keep them stuck. And I also observe their natural growth and progression of learning unfold while the student is simply having fun. Recently, I've been reflecting on how teaching children illuminates my own relationship with studying music.
My teaching philosophy is comprised of constructive and encouraging feedback. Like most instructors, I both praise the student's accomplishments and push them to achieve better tone, rhythmic accuracy, etc. When I am teaching, I speak kindly and encouragingly to my students -- in a way I rarely speak towards myself in the practice room. When I am teaching, I am thinking objectively about the challenges at hand and I seek solutions. I'm more willing to experiment in order to find strategies that work. In contrast, when I am practicing by myself, I tend to become consumed by the weight of challenges, and I find it more difficult to objectively problem-solve. I then reinforce this struggle by talking to myself in a negative and discouraging way. "I'm not good enough." "I can't call myself a professional." "How can I teach this instrument if I can't play this?" I have stopped my own students from speaking this very way about themselves in the past. I tell them there is no safer place to make mistakes or sound "bad" than in a lesson or in our practice. Instead, I encourage critical thinking and a desire to find ways to sound better and better each time we play. But, how easy it is to fall in the same traps we try to save our students from!
Have you ever practiced your instrument right after teaching a lesson? Those practice sessions have been some of my most productive -- because my teacher brain is still active! I approach my repertoire without self-judgment and with more clarity and calm. I am more open to creativity and I feel fulfilled by my playing. Practicing this way is just more enjoyable!
What if I consistently practiced what I teach? If I detached myself from the frustrations of new material and focused on experimentation and problem-solving? What if I thought of myself as another one of my students? We often hold ourselves to different standards than we do others. "It's fine that younger musicians struggle with their repertoire, but I should be flawless." It sounds silly when it's actually put in writing, doesn't it? In reality, teachers are still growing and learning just as much as their students. In fact, the best teachers may be the ones who are continuously open to growth. So, as we settle back into concert season (after a rather long hiatus for most of us!), let's refresh our perspective on practicing and reclaim the joy and creativity of the learning process. Let's give ourselves permission to be students.
