My Teaching Philosophy
- Ryan Furrer
- Jan 15, 2017
- 3 min read
A question I do not get asked very often is "What is your Teaching Philosophy?" Sure I was asked this in school but...what does that even mean? According to Google, a Teaching Philosophy can be defined as "...a self-reflective statement of your beliefs about teaching and learning. It should also discuss how you put your beliefs into practice by including concrete examples of what you do or anticipate doing in the classroom."
So it is simply my approach to teaching, that's not so bad. In fact I like to think that I touch upon this with parents more than my students, and they don't even know it. Why? When meeting a student's parent for the first time it is very important, in my mind, to convey the fact that I know what I'm doing! They already have trusted me enough to come to their house for the first lesson, but they know nothing about my teaching style or skills other than the fact that I was maybe recommended to them from a mutual party.
But talking about my Teaching Philosophy isn't just for the parents, I find it is just as important for me to hear it. Repeating this to parents (and it is never the same spiel twice) not only solidifies my methods but reminds me of why I am doing this. I hope that 1% of my passion for music and teaching comes across to them as I explain why I do things the way I do.
So what is my Teaching Philosophy?
Teaching for me is not a 30-day crash course in violin/viola/cello playing. For me, I teach for many reasons, but the biggest reason is my students to learn to play beautiful music and enjoy it. I want my students to learn to practice as I do, to play with even 10% of the passion I put into their lessons, to have this intrinsic motivation to become bigger and better. This can, and will, take years.
I question my students, have them think about why a certain fingering is better than another, or where they might recommend shifting. Of course I know the answers to these questions but by asking them and making them think, I hope that they are learning to practice and work through difficult passages.
I have a very energetic and intimate relationship with my students, and while they respect me as their teacher, music teachers seem to hold this special place in students (especially kids) that we are their friends. This relationship lets me mess with their posture, their hand position, even convincing them to let me torture them with a tuner during their scales.
As time goes on I look for places we need to improve upon more than others. I want to help mold my students into the best players they can be. For that to happen they must practice, but I must also be the best teacher possible for them.
Becoming a better musician with me as your teacher requires 3 things:
1) Dedication 2) Consistency 3) Intrinsic Motivation
I've brought up intrinsic motivation a couple of times, but what is it? It is motivation that comes from inside the student. This is not inherent in everyone - in fact, more often than not it is formed over time. The push for students to practice starts as extrinsic motivation from their parents and teacher. I do my very best to turn that into their own motivation so my job gets easier! Intrinsic motivation can help all of us whether we are working to lose weight, get a promotion at work, or even just to get better at cooking. It is a powerful tool, something that is not easy to instill in others but I do my best.
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