By Morgann Davis
One of the best parts of operating
a private studio is the opportunity to develop a unique curriculum for your
students. Sometimes you are able to pinpoint a project that works great when
repeated each year, like a scale challenge or music theory project that reviews
important basics. Other times it is best to develop a project based on what the
current needs of your students are, or what you feel is lacking from the scope
of their regular musical experience. Regardless of the reason behind developing
a challenge, as a teacher, it is an excellent
creative exercise in developing something your students enjoy, and a fantastic
instructional exercise in evaluating the needs of your students.
I’ve noticed that my studio
settles into a rhythm of production. Depending on the time of year, school
activities, auditions that are available, holidays, etc., I can predict how much
extra time my students have and when they have a little extra energy for their flute
practice. This “rhythm” is also how I decide when to schedule my studio recitals.
It will be different for each teacher, and depends heavily on your location,
local school districts, state music programs and outside offerings like youth
orchestras. We have three recitals per year, and
generally I try to do a special project leading up to the two that occur during
the school year. It helps the students to maintain focus on an important
element of their playing, and also plays off the extra attention they have to their
practice when a recital is on the horizon.
Over the winter months this year
(which, admittedly, I thought would never end!), I felt extra motivated to
provide something other than the “regular” lesson structure. We started the
winter with an Extended Techniques Goal Ladder. The simple clip
art I enlarged and provided to each student had a ladder with five rungs that
we could fill in at a rate of one per week, or even per two weeks, depending on
the student. By not indicating the specific extended technique they would learn
at each rung, I could tailor the worksheet for each students’
age and ability level. Each student in my studio was able to participate, from
recent beginners who learned things like key clicks to advanced high school
students who refined their multiphonic production and techniques like whistle
tones.
Keeping an overall goal in mind
with each project helps me to direct my instruction and not get sidetracked in
too many different directions. For this project, I had two overall goals in
mind. First, was to introduce each student to the versatility of the flute. Understanding
the capabilities of the instrument opens their ears when hearing new music. It
can help them to be more excited to perform new music, knowing that extended
techniques are within reach of their abilities. The second goal was to open up a new wealth of possibilities for
the development of fundamentals. Seasoned flutists know how beneficial it is
for our tone and technique when we learn and regularly practice things like
singing and playing or harmonics. Getting my students started on these skills
at an early stage of development provides many avenues for practice and discussion
that will help them to be as adept as possible as their abilities develop.
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