Annotation

This is a document drawn from my planning work for my Composer as Educator Curriculum. The format is the presentation of the five core principles of the learning curve, LQCPR (Listen, Question, Creativity, Performance, Question and Reflection). Each of these points is then analyzed from the perspective of what the teacher must keep in mind and what the teacher should consider and impart upon the student.

LQCPR

1. Listen

Teacher: How do I listen to the student to understand their challenges? How do I listen to the student to gain entrance points into their creative/artistic/social world? How do I listen to the music objectively to decide if it is I the composer who made the mistake in not being explicit enough, writing the wrong thing, etc.

Student: How do I teach the student to listen to music as a series of sounds that are compiled to convey an emotional psycho/social/physical state of being. How do I teach them to objectively listen to what they play so as to determine what a weakness in their playing or what they are doing wrong.

2. Question

Teacher: Do I have the objective scrutiny to question each symbolic marking on the page as well as the sounds they produce? How and when do I question the student/performers dedication to collaborating with me as an artist? Do we have the same ideas about what should be said? (These last 2 questions need not answered in the affirmative, but the answers must be understood, so as to “be on the same page” Basically a question of their and my motives.

Student: How do I create a positive environment where the student feels free to ask why or must i and what are you thinking and why? What can i learn from student questions about my own inability's or different points of view? Is this the kind of student that works from a point of view of asking questions? If yes or no, I must accommodate.

3. Creativity

Teacher: How do I creatively convey what is my objective, ie employ my visual creativity to create an image. What justifies my creative expression? I am free to react to and adapt to the player at hand, this is a creative act. Must find a creative way take common reference points and use it as a useful means of communication.

Student: How do I create a positive environment in which the student feels comfortable trying new things, and how do we both learn from these explorations? How much room is there for interpretation? My music is very detailed, but it is only that so that it sounds “human” (Interesting dichotomy), What type of creativity does this performer excel at? and how can i take advantage of that?

4. Performance

Teacher: I must present myself in professional manner that is not cookie cutter, but rather that is true to my sensibilities as an artist and with respect for the formalities of “professional interaction.” I must perform in the coaching in a way that conveys my ideas in the truest and most succinct manner. The composer must be aware of the physical, sonic, mental, emotional and spiritual requirements of their music for the listener as well as performer. I must acquire the auditory and intellectual acuity and exactitude to listen once and know every detail that must be mended and the best est path to begin the performer on, in order that they reach logical musical/artistic conclusions.

Student: They must perform the music as it is written. Adding only the “interpretive” nuances that are natural to their understanding of the music. They must perform (not only the musical notes, but also the physical presentation of themselves as ambassadors of my composition in manner and attire) in a manner that is in accordance with the ideas and solutions (holding true to themselves and me) that we have agreed to, within this contract known as the score. This agreement between the two of us is not written like a contract, rather it is a relationship between 2 humans that is evolving and transforming, often without definition. The composer must understand the physical reality of what they are requiring of the performer and then must adjust and or insist on what they ask for.

5. Reflection

Teacher: As the presenter of the “1st draft” of a piece I must reflect the changes and solutions that are necessary for players in each later edition of a score. In listening to past coachings, I must reflect on the principles of my artistic and education credence in accessing my abilities. Finally, I should note that my sense of reflection does not often end up written in a journal, but rather as an idea that I carry forward in my next interaction.

Student: The performer must reflect the agreements of themselves and the composer within each presentation of a work. (Obviously, each performance is a new situation and the piece will change, but they must carry forward what is integral to the underlying artistic construct). The player must or rather will reflect honestly their musical tradition as well as their personal goals in dealing with me as a composer. (Essentially a statement about honesty as a human)

How do you encourage active listening and in what context and to what end?

Reflection

The layout of this document indicates that I was attempting to plan a lesson that follows the learning curve inherent in any educational exchange. Following this schema ensures that the knowledge imparted will be something that the student continues to carry with them. This type of thinking is evidence of < Principle #2: The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development. >