When Are Students “Done” with Simply Music?
Found in: Playing-Based Methodology, Student Retention/Attrition
Mary R., Michigan
I, too, would appreciate guidance here and a chat re: advanced students in general. When are people “done” with SM? When the foundation levels have been completed and students have done Jazz and both Accompaniment Programs, Reading and Time for Music (Reading and Playing Level 1) do we turn them loose? Or at some point do we start to relate to students more as a traditional teacher would, assisting in selecting repetoire and helping them work through longer pieces?
I would love to hear from teachers who have had students in their studio for 5 years or more.
Gordon Harvey, Australia
I currently have students in most Levels up to Level 11, and I certainly wouldn’t consider them “done” with SM. Really, now is when all the seeds planted through the Foundation, Arrangement, Accompaniment, Composition and Reading Programs really come together and blossom into a diverse, colourful, healthy, mature musical garden. Also, by then, the relationship is so established and the SM experience so familiar and integrated that there is no “turning loose”. There is certainly a sense of the student having more choice – they may choose, with your approval, to take some pieces off the Playlist, and they can choose more of their own projects. Their personal choices may be focused on a particular area – they may want to specialise in classical pieces, or they may want to work on jazz arrangements etc, but they’ll still be working through the Development Program and anything else you know they need, because there’s still an enormous amount of learning value from SM at that level. I rarely have a student who isn’t happy to go along with this.
Of course, to the extent that the student is choosing their own material, you’ll be the judge of the appropriateness of their choices. You’ll also need to manage how much they take on from the piece each week, not necessarily because they won’t know how much they can handle, but because, if it’s a piece they’ve been excitedly looking forward to getting into, it’s easy for them to throw themselves into it at the expense of other pieces and their Playlist.
Joanne J., Australia
After almost 6 years teaching Simply Music I find there is still plenty of material to assist in developing the long term students further. They are committed students and therefore give more time to it and can take on more challenging projects still using the basic tools. As Gordon said, now is the time the garden really begins to bloom!
The lessons of the long term students are about validating their musical achievements and encouraging them to extend themselves – supporting them by hearing them play pieces they have decoded themselves, answering any questions that have arisen in their exploration, helping them discover other ways of looking at the same elements and assisting in clues for technically executing any tricky passages. I assure them that they can now ‘go forth and be wonderful’ (as Neil has said) but they say they love coming and it is important for them to have a weekly lesson to keep them focused on their musical goals.
There is also so much material to digest within the Jazz Program and the Accompaniment 2 Program that even after 5-6 years there is plenty to work with in these arenas. I feel the real challenge will be continuing to develop ourselves as teachers (and therefore students) in the Simply Music program – I personally don’t see a definitive end in site for a very long time!!