PART A: OVERALL METHODOLOGY, STYLE, AND MOTIVATIONS
As a music teacher, I feel that it is not prudent to push a student too hard because the student might not learn as much, lose motivation for learning, or even drop out of a class or course. With that, my teaching focuses currently on a more "gradual" approach, because I want to make the students feel more at ease about the intricacies of music, and help them to figure out the best way to deal with musical problems that will help their confidence. This is because my passion with music--as well as strong familiarity with it--will motivate students to learn and grow from an art form that is consistently changing in its vast history.
My past teaching experiences gave me an insight on the best way to get the best learning for students out of my music courses. I learned from them that most importantly, especially in lecture-discussion formats, that visualizations and organization during classes count most of all....that is, the teacher has to be prepared not only with the necessary class materials, but also prepared with what one needs to say to the students during the class. This in turn would save valuable class time and will allow for answer-question periods where at first there was not time for when classes end.
Observation of numerous teachers during my college years as a music major also inspired me to create my unique style in music teaching. Let me state a few of them. One of them I remember was my Spanish 101 teacher, Prof. John Barry (deceased), who was a Spanish faculty member at Roosevelt University. Prof. Barry used a wide array of teaching methods, including introductions to some of the songs in the Hispanic world--not just simply assignments in the textbooks--and I saw first-hand how students in that class were motivated by his teaching. Another was Prof. Joseph Urbinato, who was a faculty emeritus of Roosevelt University, who taught a 19th-century music history class that I was in. His memory in familiarity of Romantic composers, particularly the astrological signs of most of them, was amazing. It helped me to be motivated to research more into the Romantic period in classical music repertoire. Finally, I was in several music history courses with Prof. John Hill of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My first-hand observations of his teaching style showed that had a vast knowledge of ancient Western music history, and when I had him as advisor of my doctoral project, I learned the importance of researching material that you are about to teach--so that way, you are on your way to understanding your material.
PART B: SUMMARY OF MY MUSIC TEACHING DELIVERIES
In my piano teaching, my style is an adjustable one. In one-to-one engagements, especially private piano lessons, I use a mixture of techniques…the “play” and “imitate” from Suzuki, tactile correcting of a technique (for example, assisting the piano student to cross over or under the thumb in a major scale), and clapping and physical counting from the Dalcroze and Orff teaching methods. Also, I focus mainly on more interpretation problems than technique problems, although I can balance both genres with ease. In master class piano teaching, I developed a mentality of not interrupting a student and let the student finish the performance before I make any comments…unless there are flagrant mistakes. In group piano classes, I usually will be walking around to see if students are playing the correct notes, fingerings, etc.
In music theory teaching, I will often use my compositional skills mainly through Finale music notation software, and often give out exercises on Finale. The style is very extrovert…I often will step away from the lectern to attract more attention to my students….especially in contemporary music concepts, after I prepare for the class discussion.
In music appreciation teaching, I use several techniques….handouts, visual presentations such as PowerPoint, the blackboard with musical staffs, and piano demonstrations.
Finally, in music seminar lectures, my general lecturing style focuses on my strong skills in PowerPoint, which I use as a great visual tool. If the lecture involves playing musical examples on the piano, I often would keep the piano close to the lectern on my left side, and if a lectern is not available, I often would use a music stand as a lectern, also on the left side of the piano. I am willing to keep up with teaching technology with this matter, trying to cut back on the traditional projector.