A good musician is a musician who never stops in her or his efforts to improve; they must constantly return to the basic principles of music and never cease to confront with those their actions, the creative ideas and issues that they face as performers or teachers of performers. Wishing to underscore their equivalence, so to speak, I deliberately juxtapose the two functions: that of a musical performer and of musician/teacher of a performer. The latter appears in a role similar to that of a conductor in rehearsals with the orchestra, who, while not playing himself, teaches, inspires and helps musicians/performers of the orchestra to make music, to perform it.
The above passage from an article by Jan Kadłubiski, titled Z zagadnień podstawowych w nauczaniu gry… [Basic Issues of Teaching the…], deftly presents the role of a pedagogue, which, as emphasised by the author, counterbalances that of a musician/performer [1].
Tadeusz Wroński, in his book Zdolni i niezdolni. O grze i anty grze na skrzypcach, lists the qualities of an imaginary ideal teacher:
Such a person is communicative and has significant artistic and teaching abilities; she or he can convey their skill to pupils, taking equal care of the technical and musical development of the pupil; they teach efficient working methods; they do not make mistakes when choosing the teaching material; they define the programmes, gradually increasing their difficulty, adjusting them to every student individually; she or he has a variety of interests, which they can instil in the pupil; they care for the pupil as a person, her or his life and problems – always striving to help solving issues of that sort; they have the ability to adopt such an attitude towards the pupil that they become mutually close, without compromising their authority. However, it is impossible for a single person to possess all these qualities [2].
In my opinion, a good pedagogue is a kind of a guide and mentor for their pupils. Teaching them, they have a significant influence on shaping the personality and worldview of a young person, as musical instrument lessons tend to be individual, a fact further improving the conditions for educating and influencing a child. This is an extremely important and responsible role, particularly at the initial stage of education, when we are dealing with children 6 and 7 years of age, who believe every word uttered by an adult; thus, in a way, how a young person will perceive the world in the future depends on us, as well as how their sensitivity and sense of beauty will develop.
First and foremost, playing an instrument is something for the pupil to enjoy. From the early moments, we should try to make the child like music and our lessons. The more he or she wants to play of their own accord, the more time they will spend practising, which in turn will be reflected in the better results achieved by them in the future. The pupil should see the effects of her or his work and derive satisfaction therefrom. Hence, verbal acknowledgement is a matter of crucial importance, as it motivates the child to a sustained effort. Kadłubiski writes:
In all of that, it is of utmost importance that the child feels pleasure from her or his ability to play even the simplest musical motif in the most beautiful way – on no occasion in a ‘pedestrian’, sloppy manner. From the very beginning, we should stimulate their sensitivity and imagination … to seek artistic beauty in music, assisted in that task by us. Constant improvement of the pupil’s musical imagination, which should be equalled by the increasingly complete range of technical measures, constitutes the condition of the harmonious development of their instrumental skills and artistic personality [3].
Of course, not all our students will achieve mastery of their craft. However, we should not become discouraged and treat those less talented differently to the more gifted ones, for in both cases, we have equally powerful influence on the forming of the character, will and intelligence of our pupils. Our overarching goal should be to introduce children to the world of music, to educate wise, sensitive people, music lovers and connoisseurs, while at the same time virtuosos and chamber musicians. It is our task to awaken the sensitivity of a young person to all that music includes in and brings with itself. It is, after all, a way to express one’s internal world and personality and create something perfect and beautiful.
The conclusion appears to suggest itself: we should teach our pupils in such a way that the improvement in their skills and technical prowess would accompany their increased autonomy in practising and deciphering musical concepts and meanings hidden in music. The sooner they become their own teachers, the better musicians they will be in the future.
In my view, a pedagogue/instrumentalist is a person who should constantly learn and seek new ways to convey their knowledge and instil in their students an authentic passion for music. Their situation is all the more suitable, because – as I have already mentioned – traditionally, such lessons are carried out within the framework of individual teacher–pupil classes. Owing to that, they are able to convey to the pupil more information than in a group class; the latter, however, are also useful, as they teach children to cooperate in groups and give them the opportunity to enjoy making music together. Obviously, the choice of teaching methods depends on the knowledge, the developed skill and experience of the teacher; however, it should, above all, be adjusted to the individual needs of the child.
I believe that by teaching young adepts of music to love it and to do, whatever they do, of their own accord, passion and interest we have the opportunity to educate a generation of eloquent erudite, and perhaps competition laureates and great musicians to come.
Literature:
Kadłubiski J., Z zagadnień podstawowych w nauczaniu gry na fortepianie, in: Z praktycznych zagadnień nauczania gry na instrumentach, ed. by Prof. Jan Kadłubiski and Tomasz Baranowski, MA, Białystok 1995.
Wroński T., Zdolni i niezdolni. O grze i anty grze na skrzypcach, PWM, Cracow 1979.
[1] Ibid. p. 61.
[2] Tadeusz Wroński, Zdolni i niezdolni. O grze i anty grze na skrzypcach, PWM, Kraków 1979, p. 38.
[3] Jan Kadłubiski, ‘Z zagadnień podstawowych w nauczaniu gry na fortepianie,’ in Z praktycznych zagadnień nauczania gry na instrumentach, ed. by Prof. Jan Kadłubiski and Tomasz Baranowski, MA, Białystok 1995, p. 63.
