The Method Concept
A student at his/her first term will often begin by playing from a book containing short melodies, some technical exercises, a few elements of music theory and some repertoire pieces.
Melodies will often have titles and there may be drawings, making the book graphically interesting, intriguing, specially for young students. These books, frequently identified as "Methods" will guide the student to a certain level, until the teacher will be concerned for what kind of additional pieces suggest, if and when to add scales and arpeggios, technical exercises, studies, repertoire, and so on.
The "Method" all the way adopted will have provided a progressive pathway which gradually narrows and eventually come to a halt as the student moves forwards.
The student will then find him/herself dealing with a set of new, different pieces, mainly focusing on repertoire (small pieces, sonatinas, etc.); besides, other new kind of pieces may be added (a manual of technical exercises, scales and arpeggios on the one hand, and/or a collection of studies, etc.).
Music pieces that used to be well prepared in one or two weeks are gradually substituted by longer ones that will take more time, sometimes up to one semester of study to be achieved.
Melodies will often have titles and there may be drawings, making the book graphically interesting, intriguing, specially for young students. These books, frequently identified as "Methods" will guide the student to a certain level, until the teacher will be concerned for what kind of additional pieces suggest, if and when to add scales and arpeggios, technical exercises, studies, repertoire, and so on.
The "Method" all the way adopted will have provided a progressive pathway which gradually narrows and eventually come to a halt as the student moves forwards.
The student will then find him/herself dealing with a set of new, different pieces, mainly focusing on repertoire (small pieces, sonatinas, etc.); besides, other new kind of pieces may be added (a manual of technical exercises, scales and arpeggios on the one hand, and/or a collection of studies, etc.).
Music pieces that used to be well prepared in one or two weeks are gradually substituted by longer ones that will take more time, sometimes up to one semester of study to be achieved.
The repertoire a musician performs is mainly derived from music literature. As the student's skills will increase, the more extended will the accessible repertoire be; nevertheless, competence don't develop just by studying repertoire.
Repertoire is the tip of the iceberg, all what an audience may be allowed to hear. Like so a runner won't develop his/her abilities only just by running one hundred meters and a dancer won't develop his/her abilities just by performing a choreography, a music student won't develop his/her abilities just by studying repertoire pieces.
Acquisition of competence, skills, knowledge occur when a teacher utilize a valid, efficient and comprehensive programme, outcome of his/her personal expertise and proficiency.
Repertoire is the tip of the iceberg, all what an audience may be allowed to hear. Like so a runner won't develop his/her abilities only just by running one hundred meters and a dancer won't develop his/her abilities just by performing a choreography, a music student won't develop his/her abilities just by studying repertoire pieces.
Acquisition of competence, skills, knowledge occur when a teacher utilize a valid, efficient and comprehensive programme, outcome of his/her personal expertise and proficiency.
Thinking of a "Method" uniquely as a textbook, a manual, a compendium of exercises, an anthology of works is therefore reductive. Two aspects characterize these kind of manuals, almost around since the last hundred and fifty years and adopted by an increasing number of students:
Having a good number of pieces set in a progressive order is, in itself, a good thing. Some teachers, however, may just feel truly self-confident and mainly bother to assign one new piece just after the previous one is finished, confident that the student will be able to tackle with the more complex pieces at a higher level, once it'll be the time.
Often, after the first two or three years of progressive improvements, obtained by following the gradual set of pieces provided by the "Method", the teacher will be in the need to establish a new set of pieces, exercises, etc, much more in line with the student's personal level. The "Method" since then adopted will probably not guarantee the same reliability, much as it used to.
Teachers whom conceived a programme, a methodological plan compiled according to the needs and the objectives set for their students, will not feel this as a problem: their students will have probably started with a set of many different activities and relative textbooks all together.
The term method must therefore be intended as a set of procedures, strategies used to achieve specific objectives. 'Method' derives from the Greek metà (beyond) and hodòs (walk, progress).
Therefore, the teacher creates the method: the method is the teacher.
- They are generally conceived for the first part of the student's course (approximately the first three years)
- The contents are organised in a way to guarantee the student's gradual improvement
Having a good number of pieces set in a progressive order is, in itself, a good thing. Some teachers, however, may just feel truly self-confident and mainly bother to assign one new piece just after the previous one is finished, confident that the student will be able to tackle with the more complex pieces at a higher level, once it'll be the time.
Often, after the first two or three years of progressive improvements, obtained by following the gradual set of pieces provided by the "Method", the teacher will be in the need to establish a new set of pieces, exercises, etc, much more in line with the student's personal level. The "Method" since then adopted will probably not guarantee the same reliability, much as it used to.
Teachers whom conceived a programme, a methodological plan compiled according to the needs and the objectives set for their students, will not feel this as a problem: their students will have probably started with a set of many different activities and relative textbooks all together.
The term method must therefore be intended as a set of procedures, strategies used to achieve specific objectives. 'Method' derives from the Greek metà (beyond) and hodòs (walk, progress).
Therefore, the teacher creates the method: the method is the teacher.