It's almost the end of 2012. I have just had a lovely evening talking to young violin teachers about teaching ideas I use, games I play, toys to play with and possible ways to approach issues with students. It has reminded me that there are so many ideas we have as teachers which we keep to ourselves, ideas which other teachers find useful and helpful and think are wonderful.
As teachers we get caught up with our own students and teaching, it's sometimes hard to look outside of our studio to see what else is going on.
I love the Suzuki approach to teaching where we share ideas with other teachers willingly. The fact that the training programme has so much weighting on observing other teachers is fantastic. It's through watching others that I have found so many wonderful ideas to adopt in my regular teaching.
The end of year is fast approaching and I am preparing students for an end of year performance. For this we combine with other Suzuki teachers - my beginners get to see more advanced players and play in a larger group. All good fun!
If any teacher has any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. It's always lovely talking to others to find out what you do. Teachers unite...we're amazing.
I'm going to share the wonderful post about the top 10 Skills Children Learn from the Arts. We always knew we were wonderful - here's more proof!
1. Creativity – Being able to think on your feet, approach tasks from different
perspectives and think ‘outside of the box’ will distinguish your child from
others. In an arts program, your child will be asked to recite a monologue in 6
different ways, create a painting that represents a memory, or compose a new
rhythm to enhance a piece of music. If children have practice thinking
creatively, it will come naturally to them now and in their future career.
2. Confidence – The skills developed through theater, not only train you how to
convincingly deliver a message, but also build the confidence you need to take
command of the stage. Theater training gives children practice stepping out of
their comfort zone and allows them to make mistakes and learn from them in
rehearsal. This process gives children the confidence to perform in front of
large audiences.
3. Problem Solving – Artistic creations are born through the
solving of problems. How do I turn this clay into a sculpture? How do I portray
a particular emotion through dance? How will my character react in this
situation? Without even realizing it kids that participate in the arts are
consistently being challenged to solve problems. All this practice problem
solving develops children’s skills in reasoning and understanding. This will
help develop important problem-solving skills necessary for success in any
career.
4. Perseverance – When a child picks up a violin for the first
time, she/he knows that playing Bach right away is not an option; however, when
that child practices, learns the skills and techniques and doesn’t give up,
that Bach concerto is that much closer. In an increasingly competitive world, where
people are being asked to continually develop new skills, perseverance is
essential to achieving success.
5. Focus – The ability to focus is a key skill developed through ensemble
work. Keeping a balance between listening and contributing involves a great
deal of concentration and focus. It requires each participant to not only think
about their role, but how their role contributes to the big picture of what is
being created. Recent research has shown that participation in the arts
improves children’s abilities to concentrate and focus in other aspects of
their lives.
6. Non-Verbal Communication – Through experiences in theater and dance
education, children learn to breakdown the mechanics of body language. They
experience different ways of moving and how those movements communicate
different emotions. They are then coached in performance skills to ensure they
are portraying their character effectively to the audience.
7. Receiving Constructive Feedback – Receiving constructive feedback about a
performance or visual art piece is a regular part of any arts instruction.
Children learn that feedback is part of learning and it is not something to be
offended by or to be taken personally. It is something helpful. The goal is the
improvement of skills and evaluation is incorporated at every step of the
process. Each arts discipline has built in parameters to ensure that critique
is a valuable experience and greatly contributes to the success of the final
piece.
8. Collaboration – Most arts disciplines are collaborative in
nature. Through the arts, children practice working together, sharing
responsibility, and compromising with others to accomplish a common goal. When
a child has a part to play in a music ensemble, or a theater or dance
production, they begin to understand that their contribution is necessary for
the success of the group. Through these experiences children gain confidence
and start to learn that their contributions have value even if they don’t have
the biggest role.
9. Dedication – When kids get to practice following through with artistic
endeavors that result in a finished product or performance, they learn to
associate dedication with a feeling of accomplishment. They practice developing
healthy work habits of being on time for rehearsals and performances,
respecting the contributions of others, and putting effort into the success of
the final piece. In the performing arts, the reward for dedication is the warm
feeling of an audience’s applause that comes rushing over you, making all your
efforts worthwhile.
10. Accountability – When children practice creating something
collaboratively they get used to the idea that their actions affect other
people. They learn that when they are not prepared or on-time, that other
people suffer. Through the arts, children also learn that it is important to
admit that you made a mistake and take responsibility for it. Because mistakes
are a regular part of the process of learning in the arts, children begin to
see that mistakes happen. We acknowledge them, learn from them and move on.
(Editor’s Note: The full version of this post
appears on Lisa’s website. Lisa also recently released a book,The Artistic Edge, which explores why
leadership skills taught through the arts are what young people need most to be
successful in life.)
Happy teaching!
