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Below is a recent article about my philosophy of teaching. I would love to hear from you regarding this. You can go to the contact page and post a message or email me. Thanks! Mark
A FEW WORDS ABOUT MUSIC LESSONS:
Mark Vincent
Introduction: Please be assured that the opinions recited herein are 100% accurate and are not based on some wild theory or wacky set of assumptions. Not only is my method 100% correct, proven, and backed by years of experience; it is easier to teach and learn than either traditional or Suzuki methods. Why? Because it produces the end result! My integrated system of music education does not stress one learning receptor at the detriment of the others, nor does it include any methods that are bizarre or controversial. As a matter of fact, my critics might only say that I am attempting to teach too much at one time. To that, I say, RUBBISH! The human mind, especially a child’s mind, is capable of stretching well beyond the point we usually set for it. Below is a brief discussion of teaching methods, primarily for piano, but also applicable to guitar, that have been used somewhat successfully and a critique thereof. In conclusion, I provide a summary of my methods for review and critique by any of you who are brave enough to take me on regarding this particular subject.
THE TRADITIONAL METHOD – NOTE READING: First off, let me say that this is the method by which I was first introduced to the piano at age 4. I was trained using the Thompson Method along with exercises from Hannon. This approach stresses sight reading and technique and is an excellent start, but falls short. Scales and key signatures are taught much too late in the learning process and such matters are considered “advanced” because they come at a time when the sight reading in the assignments becomes more challenging. The student does not get any theory education in a way that can be put together as a study. The theory is slowly integrated into the sight reading lessons, and that creates huge gaps in time and doesn’t allow for a comprehensive understanding of the subject.
The traditional method of sight reading and training totally ignores ear training. As a professional musician, there are numerous times when I am asked to play a request that I only “know” to hum it. What I am saying is that I have either never played the piece on the piano or it has been many, many years since I have played it. IF I CAN HUM IT – I CAN PLAY IT! This comes from ear training and an understanding of basic chord structure and music theory. Good ear training also allows the performer to play a tune in any key to accommodate the singing voice or other instruments.
The traditional approach discourages improvisation by requiring exact interpretation of the written work and thereby stifling the student’s imagination. Mozart and Bach we both improvisers and often played ideas on a whim during performances. Students should be encouraged to play ideas as opposed to written exercises.
Finally, a strict traditional approach ignores “lead sheet” reading. A lead sheet is a melody written, usually in the treble clef, and chord symbols written either above or below the melody to indicate the left hand accompaniment. Most professional musicians learn and read lead sheets routinely in order to give the piece their own flavor. It is necessary to learn lead sheet reading as well as sight reading in order to be a complete musician.
The traditional approach limits a student’s ability to be a musician and instead trains the student to play only what is provided for him by someone else. Traditional training should be considered an essential element and not a complete course of study.
THE SUZUKI – EAR TRAINING METHOD: By reading the comments above, one could assume that I favor this method over the traditional method of instruction. NOT TRUE! As a matter of fact, Suzuki does less for a student than traditional training does. This bold statement may be controversial, but it is an ABSOLUTE FACT that students need to learn using ALL SENSORY devices at once! A child who only learns to play by ear at a very young age will be harder to train once the written music is introduced. Suzuki claims that constant repetition and praise are the keys to the program’s success but we are training students, often small children, with brain power beyond a computer’s capacity and we need to take advantage of that RAM while the computer is still new. It’s nice that the child can play ‘songs’ at a young age, but this can be accomplished without foregoing traditional note reading and theory study. It is also an easy cop-out for instructors that don’t want to weed out underachievers and still collect their fees for not teaching much.
Go ahead – send me your hate mail regarding this! You will lose the argument!
THE INTEGRATED APPROACH: The correct way to train piano students, especially the very young, is to combine the traditional method with theory and ear training in EVERY LESSON! The fingers need to automatically respond to the written note, to what the ear is hearing, and with a solid understanding in the brain or why some notes sound good and some sound bad. Scales, key signatures, arpeggios, time signatures, and imaginative thinking need to be worked on in every session along with the written assignment. I prefer the Thompson books because they are challenging and train a student correctly without “babying” the student or giving false feedback. The Alfred and other easy methods like Alfred are a waste of time. The student receives false feedback about his progression without seeing any real improvement.
Does the student progress more slowly through the Thompson book because of the added information? Actually, NO. The lessons in Thompson will go more smoothly and the student will master the written pieces quicker and with better understanding with the aid of the additional information.
BY THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR OF LESSONS USING THE INTEGRATED APPROACH – A STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO:
1. complete the Thompson 1 book
2. play all major scales
3. know all key signatures
4. know all I-IV-V Chord progressions
5. perform all major and minor arpeggios
6. Begin to perform left hand accompaniment including basic stride and walking bass
7. be able to play simple melodies in every key
8. be able to read 2-staff piano charts as well as lead sheets
Proficiency comes with practice and correct practice and instruction is necessary for success!
Mark Vincent
October, 2007
