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Statement of Teaching Philosophy
- 1. Benjamin Druffel Statement of Teaching Philosophy The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows anotherand leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world. - Leonard Bernstein Like great artists, a certain mystique surrounds great teachers. What are the secrets to great teaching? How is it that some teachers seem to have a natural ability to shape the learning of and inspire fellow human beings? Exceptional teaching is much more abstract than the techniques, strategies, and knowledge that we learn in our training. Bernsteins words about great artists might hold the key to the mystery of great teaching. The most effective and memorable educators give away ALL of their energies and lives to the pursuit of learning. They devote themselves fully to the students through their creativity, knowledge, communication, leadership, and, in the case of music teachers, musicianship. When all is said and done the students leave the teacher having acquired knowledge or a skill and a feeling that something is right with the world. I am an educator because I heartily believe teaching is my vocation. Through my passion for music I endeavor to give all of my energy and much of my life to shaping the musical education of people young and old. This education goes beyond knowledge of music and the skills of playing a musical instrument. Music, with its beauty and complexities, is the perfect forum for us to experience the beauty and complexities of our own lives. As Picasso said, The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. When I teach music, I encourage students to join me in finding connections between the art form, themselves, and humanity. I never teach my pupils, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. Albert Einstein I strive to educate students to become independent musicians, active listeners, and critical thinkers by producing an environment where these traits are encouraged and nurtured. While teaching through lecture is sometimes a necessity, teaching by leading and moderating a class discussion is often a more rewarding learning experience. Students engage their critical thinking skills as they develop their comments and arguments and share them with the class. They then listen to the comments of other students and a learning cycle begins. In the best discussions arguments are challenged and defended which leads to continuous cycle of more thinking and listening. Ensemble rehearsals often become comparable to lectures with the conductor giving musical directions and the ensemble simply recreating those musical directions through performance. I often lead rehearsals in the manner, but occasionally I turn the tables on the
- 2. ensemble. Instead of saying, play the staccato notes with more separation; I may ask the ensemble, given our understanding of music of this style, how much separation should the notes have? This allows students to independently synthesize knowledge already learned with a new situation and make independent musical choices. I do not give a lecture about the style, but instead guide the students to the correct conclusion. As a conductor, my goal is to present coherent and unambiguous gestures to an ensemble so they can learn through my physical directions as well as verbal instruction. However, sometimes being more abstract with gestures creates learning opportunities. By being abstruse with physical communication, students are forced to think in different ways in order to interpret the gestures they see. This thinking also leads to making independent musical decisions. In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a days work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years. Jacques Barzun, historian How do I measure my effectiveness as a teacher? Traditional assessments (i.e. exams, essays, presentations) are useful for short-term evaluation, but as Barzun says, it may take some time to see if learning has truly taken place. In music education courses, an exam or essay may show that class content is learned but only when I can observe the student as a teacher in a classroom that I know content has been assimilated and I can rate my own effectiveness. In the ensemble setting the concert serves as an assessment but I will not know my success as a teacher until the new rehearsal sequence begins and I observe what concepts carry over from the past program. Once I have measured my effectiveness I always seek out ways to improve through my network of colleagues, professional publications, and student evaluations. As successful as students may be there is always room for improvement and more energy I can bring to my teaching. In everything I do, I aim to be a model of exceptional teaching. My students experience how I dedicate all of my energy and my life into making them better musicians, teachers, and people. How I teach can be summarized into four steps. First I introduce a musical or extra- musical concept or idea. Next, I discuss ways to implement said concept. Then I give the students a moment to think and make decisions about how they can apply it to their own musicianship. Finally, I send the students forth to be better musicians and human beings, hopefully with a feeling that something is right with the world. 油