Product Description

"Improve your teaching!" is a 'must have' handbook for all instrumental and singing teachers. Packed full of comprehensive advice and practical strategies, it offers creative yet accessible solutions to the challenges faced in music education. It outlines Paul Harris' innovative strategy of 'Simultaneous Learning': a method that encourages the development of musical insight by making connections between all aspects of musicianship and discusses topics including lesson preparation, aural and memory work, effective practice, improvisation and composition, sight-reading and group teaching. Cleverly fusing established teaching techniques with fresh and exciting ideas, "Improve Your Teaching!" represents a modern and holistic approach to musical instruction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77055 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

Customer Reviews

It Really is Essential Reading
Most intstrument/vocal teachers copy the way they were taught, bar a few points they really didn't like. That's it. That's how most instrumental vocal teachers learn to teach. I always knew I wanted my lessons to be more relevant for my students but it can be difficult to do something different if you're not entirely sure how or think you might be the only one doing it. Harris puts into words a lot of the things I've wanted to do but not quite had the confidence to do.

Based on sound reasearch with some genius ideas, the book discusses: flaws in our (my) current teaching methods, how we learn, teaching students to play expressively, effective group lessons, motivating and inspiring students, making exam work relevant and developmentally useful, aural and sight reading work, effective practice and the big one for me - composition and improvisation.

Full of good ideas that seem obvious once you've read them. Implementing them one by one and lessons begin to feel much richer learning experiences.

I also reccomend Harris's 'Improve Your Aural' book/cd packages (grades 1-5) and Sally Adam's (who works a lot with Harris) 'Flute Basics' for beginner flautists. All three books are brilliant teaching aids.

A refreshing book, a MUST for all music teachers
I've really enjoyed reading this book. It's written in a straight forward and encouraging style and is easy to dip in and out of.

Up until now I have been doing a lot of what the book terms "bar one" teaching where you get the pupils to play something and then stop them and correct what they do wrong. I do some work on scales, aural and rhythm, but I've pretty much been teaching in the same way as I was taught.

This book introduces the concept of Simultanous Learning where you connect all the elements and teach through "The Ingredients". So you do a bit of work and improvisation on the scale, pulse, rythmic patterns, markings and mood of a new piece and ensure that all of the elements are in place before you open the book with the piece in it. Then when the pupils see the piece they understand it and are able to play it accurately the first time. The beauty of this method being that it's thorough and you never have to say no.

On first reading I found it quite a daunting challenge as the concept is so different from what I am used to doing, however just in the last week I've started to introduce a few of the elements a bit at a time and feel that lessons are already more fun, productive, positive and engaging.

If you're a music teacher, you need to buy this book, you won't regret it.