Focus on the fix
When we are fortunate enough to have a student teacher on our campus, I take great ownership in helping them find their voice on the podium. Even those coming in with ample experience through their undergraduate courses, teaching lessons, or teching for a marching band feel intimidated. Up until this point, their experience teaching has probably been mainly one-on-one, and the change to now rehearsing an ensemble can be daunting.
When prepping them for their first time to step in front of a group of 40+ teenagers, I offer them the advice that was given to me after my first full ensemble teaching experience: focus on the fix.
I had prepped for hours for this lesson. I was ready to take on any wrench that may be thrown into the equation. The score was marked with any alternate fingering they may need, chord responsibilities were labeled, and I even plotted time I wanted to spend on each section. When the class finished I felt very confident in how the lesson panned out, we had gotten to just about everything within my planned timeframe with only a few bumps along the way.
I got off the podium feeling great about how it had gone and walked over to one of my mentors to debrief about the lesson. He had been teaching for over 30 years at that point and I knew that the information I was about to receive would be priceless in my development as a young teacher.
He was very complimentary of my confidence in front of the students and acknowledged my preparation but brought to my attention something regarding my delivery of feedback. He said "you often highlight what the students were doing, but did not always explain to them what about that needed to change. You should guide your focus on what needs to be fixed".
I had essentially been doing the equivalent of an optometrist walking into the exam room, letting the patient know that their eyesight has gotten to the point that they need prescription glasses, and then sending them on their way without helping them solve the situation. Boy was that embarrassing! Identifying is half of the battle, and articulating the solution is another beast in itself.
As a music education major, if someone told me about a problem ("We are lacking clarity on notes in the Break Strain of the march", for example) I generally would have a possible solution (I must make sure my fingers and tongue are moving at the same time) through my personal experiences as a musician. Realistically due to the lack of years our students have compared to us, they may not have developed that heuristic process (If I hear X, then I do Y) quite yet. Therefore it is our responsibility to help guide them on what we would like for them to be doing rather than what they should not or are currently doing.
It took a lot of intentional practice for me to feel comfortable with actually being able to listen and say the right things to make the concept that needs the most attention at any given time better (and I am not perfect at this by any means. I have days where I am still stretched beyond my current abilities). There were several times that I would ask another band director if I could sit next to them at a region band rehearsal and ask them what they would fix first. I would drive to watch a band rehearsal and spend the whole rehearsal taking notes of what I heard, and what the director said about the process of fixing it. After a full semester of student teaching and about 2 years of teaching and still observing, I began to feel more comfortable about delivering feedback that would affect change. When this happened, I began to notice the amount of growth an ensemble could experience in a short amount of time might be exponential.
In no way do I consider myself an expert when it comes to giving feedback. If you are looking for someone who is, order a copy of the book Intelligent Music Teaching by Dr. Robert Duke. I was lucky enough for this to be a required reading in my formal education and find myself revisiting it often to this day.
If you are someone who has set out on the "Focus on the Fix" path as well - keep learning! It will come with time and intentional effort and will always leave room for growth!
Yours in Service,
Matt