Music Teacher Professional Development and Student Workshops

What if your students were as great at practicing as you are at teaching them?

What is it that allows a few students to perform beautifully week after week while others with seemingly the same amount of work have problems that detract from the enjoyment of performing? Exciting research tells us that talent plays a seemingly insignificant role if we learn the way the brain learns best.

The way the brain learns best is in the psychology and neuroscience literature, but has not made its way in any significant way into the general teaching world. Until now there has not been a comprehensive way to understand the elements necessary to engage in high-efficiency learning, and once started it gets easier and then fun. One researcher calls this state flow. All of these things are attainable by anyone.

All teachers have some of this, the great teachers have most of it, but few know the terms and how these concepts are organized as part of a larger model. This is because the research has only recently been disseminated and those of us who teach are, understandably, very far removed from the field of cognitive and behavioral psychology and neuroscience.

I have researched and applied these methods successfully in the classroom and many other environments for years. I teach it in a way that all can understand and use through engaging presentations, hands-on workshops and curricular design consulting.

The following Seminar/Lecture overview has been the basis for everything from 60-minute conference lectures and keynotes to 10-day residencies. Many areas are rich breakout sessions.

Student Workshops

All of the previous information can be given in lectures that engage students. After all, I started by teaching these things to my classes. It is eye-opening to realize the benefits of deliberate practice, growth mindset, brain science, the misunderstanding of talent and more. Then we can get them to experience these things so they can learn to trust the process.

 

What is a Practiclass?

A Practiclass is an innovative masterclass on practicing for any instrument or voice. We all seem to have those sections in our music that we work on like crazy for weeks or months, but still go wrong in performance. We’re left with disappointment instead of joy of performance. Those that don’t have this problem seem gifted and talented, but anyone can do it if we learn the way the brain learns best.

In a Practiclass we’ll take one of those sections that has been a problem for weeks and months and in about 20 minutes fix it so it is cleaner, faster and easier to play. While we do the underlying scientific and teaching principals at work in each unique situation will be taught to the audience so they can begin using that technique in their practice and teaching.

If we can do that in minutes the first time we try it in a Practiclass how much can we be improving in every practice/rehearsal?

Watch how it worked for these folks. . .