When you’re working with a group, remember that they’re also individuals. They’re never exactly in the same boat, no matter how hard you try to keep them together. So how do you make a class work for each student, especially if they’re at slightly different levels?
One important way is to pay some attention to each individual within the group. Take a moment to focus on helping each individual with something during each class if possible. Answer questions carefully even if the answer is specific to one person. Sometimes allow a student to chat if they need to talk about some incident or idea they’re keenly interested in or concerned about, even if it’s irrelevant to the class – not for a long time, of course, but don’t brush over it, either.
Let’s look at each of these ideas, but first, I think it’s important to remember that everyone in a group class senses how you treat individuals. If you’re unkind to anyone, it can be scary or offputting to the others; they sense you might treat them that way as well. By the same token, if you are attentive to someone, the others appreciate your concern even if it isn’t about them.
Let’s talk about how to pay attention to individuals within a class setting. I find that almost always, the problem of one person is relevant to everyone else, even to a student who seems to be “past” that problem. Usually, discussing the issue is thought-provoking about how to think about musical and technical problems in general – as you address a problem, you can also broaden your discussion of it a bit to talk about that “type” of problem too. If someone has a rhythm problem or a note problem or can’t remember a part, it’s great to stop and work with them for a few moments, especially if you can get them to work out the problem then and there. In doing this, you’re demonstrating practice techniques to the whole group. I like to work with one person and then suddenly bring everyone in on it, to lead from individual to group, to keep everyone on their toes, and to keep the class flowing.
Take a moment with each person at some point in the class or in the series of classes. Everyone should know you’re observing each of them and willing to help them with specific problems. That’s why it’s nice to answer questions of individual students even if the issue only seems to relate to them–for example, a question about their own instrument, or about an ache in their hand. Others can learn from this, and can also pick up on your interest and how you think about the instrument or about physical problems from playing.
And what do you do when someone in the class is bubbling over with news? Pick a good moment to let them spill it. Let others chat about it. And join in! This could be at the beginning of class to get everyone settled in, or in the middle of class after you’ve been working on something. You can rein in the discussion if it goes a little too long by saying, “OK, let’s try that tune we did last time; you start us off.” Or, “Can any of you do this?” and show them the next thing you want them to do. You get the idea: dive right into the next task at hand once there’s been a bit of chatting. Don’t stay aloof from the discussion, though; it’s fun if the teacher joins in; this makes it easier to all step back together into the task at hand.
Taking a sudden break for a chat or a joke from a student is great for many reasons: it’s fun, relieves or prevents tension, lets people’s guards down – but can also be very educational, especially if it allows for a break from working intensely on something. Once you take the break, you can get back to the task and see how it has settled in. Suppose you’re working on a new kind of bowing or fingering or other coordination problem. Work hard, then tell a story, or let someone chat about something totally distracting. Then dive back into the problem and see how it’s going. It’s basic teaching technique to repeat several times, then repeat less and less frequently to make sure the new technique or idea is still there. Going over and over something relentlessly is counterproductive. Take advantage of a joke or story break and you’re really making use of the magic of working with a group.
About the Author
Ed Pearlman has focused on performing, teaching, and judging fiddle music for over 30 years, offering performances and workshops throughout the USA and in Canada and Scotland. His original training was with members of the Chicago and Boston Symphonies, and he played with orchestras and chamber groups at Yale and in Boston. He currently teaches privately at two music schools affiliated with music stores in Maine. Ed directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club in monthly workshops for 18 years, directed major concerts and festivals, and recorded 2 solo CDs and several with a fiddle orchestra and top soloists. In addition to Scottish and Cape Breton fiddle styles, Ed plays other Celtic, American, and Canadian fiddle music, classical and some jazz, klez and Hungarian. Ed created and for 11 years ran a CD distribution company to bring music to the USA from Scotland, Atlantic Canada, Ireland, Brittany and Wales. He's the music columnist for Scottish Life magazine.
