Here I will provide excerpts from texts from various years to help you understand my firmly established position and approach to teaching.
2010 year. Teaching in music schools.
My Notes:
Group work.
Cons:
- Children don’t learn well in groups;
- They get distracted by others;
- They don’t focus on one thing;
- If a child is performing their own piece, there’s bound to be a “genius” who starts giving unsubstantiated advice (unfortunately, such advice is heeded);
- Many lack patience and try to steal the teacher’s attention;
- The teacher is unable to meet everyone’s needs, and the material is presented superficially (the best percentage is 25%, and that’s only if the child is really interested and there are no distractions). This is especially true for groups of more than three or four people.
Pros:
- Some children are dependent on others and therefore seek approval not from the teacher, but from their peers, and even better, from older students;
- A child who is struggling with the game may look at others and, filled with envy, strive to be better.
Solo work.
Cons:
- No peer support;
- No one sees progress except the teacher.
Pros:
- Complete concentration on the piece. For younger children, a line-long melody is enough to play (beyond that, patience runs out);
- 60-80% of the material is learned, depending on engagement;
- The teacher focuses only on the child’s problems and, by analyzing them, seeks effective solutions (a program or special exercises);
- Learning is of high quality;
- The student achieves results faster;
- The opportunity to ask questions without fear of subsequent bullying or disdain from peers is available;
- and MOST IMPORTANTLY, the child isn’t just having a good time (like at school, in class), but is actually learning and acquiring skills that they can use in the future to play the guitar.
CONCLUSION: Work either in a group of no more than four people, or one-on-one.
