Who should I study with?

Down under (southern hemisphere), we are starting the new academic year. As I meet up with my new students, my awareness of this partnership is heightened... I hope I made the right choice in selecting my students, I hope they’ll feel they made the right choice in coming to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and most of all I hope we’ll have a good time making terrific progress!

This is also a time when broad planning discussions with all of my students are a priority, often including that all-important question: who to study with next? Regardless of the timing (one year from now, or three?) this match-making has profound ramifications. The best matches develop from careful planning and preparation.

I hope these comments can be applied to some degree at any level, but here are some notes of explanation: I primarily teach self-motivated students specializing in flute at the university level. My thoughts here assume that the student has already enjoyed one or more wonderful teachers who will have led the way to musical inspiration, a love of the flute, some solid practice techniques, and some good foundational flute playing habits. I also assume that my students, who have sought me out to be the teacher, will be committed enough to trust me and follow my advice. This relationship doesn’t last forever… I think teachers are a bit like CEOs, and should be replaced every 4-5 years when fresh ears will probably be more effective. Just as I come back from a tour with a renewed perspective in my teaching, I realize that familiarity can over time hinder objectivity. But while I am the teacher, I expect both of us to be ‘going for it’, one or two issues at a time, relentlessly, until it is time to move on.

What makes a teacher the best?

We usually seek guidance from someone who does it better than ourselves. But experience proves that the best teachers (as evidenced by numerous successful students) may or may not be the greatest exponents. Dorothy Delay, long regarded as the top American violin teacher, was not seen or heard performing for much of her teaching career.

What type of teacher do I need?

Some logistical issues like affordability and acceptance at the appropriate institution may narrow the selection field here. But beyond these practicalities, what does the student need their teacher to be? We don’t all need the same sort of help - it is really best to think hard and honestly about our real needs before taking any further steps (maybe we can even identify something of ourselves that would be best modified first?) Do we want an awe-inspiring role model to emulate? Do we just need a technical consultant to fine-tune our physical motions? A conductor-type coach guiding musical phrases, leading us to musical richness in everything we play? A mentor who will strategize, advising best routes to follow our dreams? A driving force, pushing and demanding the practice room devotion that we know we should be doing? A nurturer to protect us from untimely traumatic moments? Do we even need regular lessons? Or do we crave an organizer and decision maker to assume responsibility?

I see my job as one of facilitating the development of the student into a capable artist who can be creative and problem-solve on their own, i.e. teach themselves. This is can be a slow road, requiring ground-up development of critical skills alongside development of technique; learning to hear differences, developing opinion, learning varied skills in order to being able to choose, experimenting to find out what works, learning to recognize and diagnose difficulties, etc.

An alternative is the teacher grooming the student in the playing style and manners of the teacher. We can often readily identify success in this more traditional method; teacher demonstrates and/or advises the student to perform similarly, student emulates the teacher and/or follows instructions… While this can be a remarkably time-efficient manner of achieving tangible progress and impressive results, I think less emphasis on understanding concepts may translate into lack of ability to arrive at solutions unaided.

Other important aspects to consider include the general environment; is it competitive, are there class or group lessons, does the teacher incorporate study of pedagogical methods and or other pedagogical approaches? I think we all benefit immensely from watching others receive instruction, but our fellow students may or may not be supportive. Our environments can greatly enhance our learning, or at worst, damage our confidence.

Beyond the basic philosophy of teaching, the teacher’s style of communicating ideas can vary from demonstration or example based (teacher plays, student observes, little or no discussion) to instruction-heavy (extensive discussion, reference to varied pedagogy, comparison of many examples via recordings). Some of us are described as visual learners rather than verbal. What presentation methods for new concepts works best for you?

And there is also a huge divergence of interpersonal relationships; some teachers like to assist the student in any way they feel necessary for guided development. All aspects of the student’s life may be ‘on the table’ and awaiting the teacher’s recommendations. Other teachers prefer to keep a professional distance where discussion is restricted to matters directly related to the flute. And taking this one step further, some have a verbal style that uses humour to put the student at ease, whereas, at the other end of the spectrum, the teachers’ views may be expressed in ‘memorable’ ways with little regard for personal discomfort. Trauma in the latter may be offset by no need for repetition.

How do I find out how the teacher teaches?

There are so many great teachers out there that narrowing the field can seem daunting. Looking in depth at various programs on offer in institutions may flush out better-suited options from the hordes of possibilities. Researching the teacher’s performance experience and their own development (who did they study with?) can provide educated guesses about that teacher’s ability in the areas you consider important.

But perhaps the most important starting point is to keep an ear open for comments about a teacher from their current and past students. And if the teacher in question is looking like a distinct possibility, make sure you get more than one opinion. This is an age of somewhat affordable travel (it really is, compared to 10 years ago), master classes, and conventions where, let’s face it, everyone knows someone who studied with so and so! Even before an audition, the cost of a lesson or two is surely a sensible expense before the investment involved in years of study!

This is where advance planning can make such a difference; how many teachers do you want to ‘check out’? How many classes can you fit in (and pay for!) in one summer? How many times will you need to meet with this person to feel confident that you’re making the right choice and, perhaps, make a sufficiently desirable impression on them? On top of everything else you may be doing, two years to accomplish all this in seems minimal…

Have you ever noticed that when you develop an interest in something, it suddenly crops up, apparently by accident, everywhere? There is a wealth of information and knowledge about teachers all around us, if your ears are wide open and you have time to act on it.

Alexa Still records for Koch International Classics and performs concerts internationally. She has just finished an elected term as Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Flute Association (USA) and is now based in Sydney as Head of Flute and Chair of Woodwind at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. You can read, see and hear much more at her website: www.alexastill.com