Posted by lisa on July 24, 2002 at 06:45:46:
In Reply to: Your First Time Teaching Lessons posted by MG on July 23, 2002 at 22:13:24:
This is something I have thought about a lot lately myself, teaching is my number one goal in life.
I think it is very important to set a good example for your students, both as a musician and a person. My best teachers always did this. Not only would they be able to play what I was playing so that I could emulate it, but they could also set a good example of what a true musician is like, and how to behave professionally. I think this is really important.
I also think encouragement is very important. Particularly for the students that may feel "behind," not very confident, unsuccessful, or whatnot, whether that feeling is warranted or not, be encouraging as well as critical. I think there's a blend of these two qualities that makes a teacher very effective. Patience is also a virtue, and should be exhibited, to an extent... this can make or break a student. At any age having someone "believe in you" can make all the difference, IMHO. This isn't to say that you should put up with all the trouble a student may give you always, but sometimes it takes time for a student to realize his/her errors.
You may have thought of all this, but these are some of the most important points to me.
Just my opinions,
-lm