Teaching Strategy
Teaching Strategy:
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- Identifying and guiding the long-term career and artistic goals of the student. The goals should be realistically based on:
- Individual artistic needs.
- Student potential.
- Student commitment.
- A broad cultural and social context
- Identifying and guiding the long-term career and artistic goals of the student. The goals should be realistically based on:
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- Developing a plan to achieve the long-term goals. The plan includes:
- Acquiring a comprehensive cello technique.
- Gaining knowledge of musical styles. The cello teacher should encourage and contribute to the student’s musical development in a broader sense (including history, theory, analysis, performance practice, etc)
- Gaining professional experience: performing solo, chamber music, and orchestral repertory, and/or teaching.
- Developing work ethics: regular practicing, good work habits, preparedness, and punctuality.
- Assisting with the purchase of instrument, bow, and accessories (as needed).
- Career advancement tools (recordings, bio, resume, photos, newspaper articles, etc)
- Participating in competitions, festivals, masterclasses, and lectures.
- Attending concerts.
- Becoming familiar with the bibliographical material: cello curriculum, repertory, methods, books, and periodicals.
- Physical exercises to support cello playing (stretching, strengthening, conditioning).
- Understanding career options.
- Developing a plan to achieve the long-term goals. The plan includes:
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- Developing medium-range goals (6 months – 1 year). The repertory:
- Will assist in the development of a complete technique, in a gradual manner.
- Will be varied in the analytical approach:
- Scales, arpeggios, double-stops, technical exercises
- Studies (etudes)
- Concert repertory (concerti, sonatas, suites, short pieces)
- Orchestral repertory
- Chamber music repertory
- Will be stylistically diverse, from Baroque to modern.
- Developing medium-range goals (6 months – 1 year). The repertory:
- Short-term goals (1 week – 1 month), adjusted to the academic year. Through the process of working on a piece, one employs a variety of learning and practicing techniques, which should continuously be reassessed. Early in the cycle (semester), there will a preponderance of certain elements, such as:
- Specific techniques: bow arm and left hand
- Learning new music
- Elements of harmonic/formal/stylistic analysis
- Practicing techniques
- Memorization techniques
Later in the cycle, other elements will be emphasized:
- Preparing for the performance
- Artistic projection
- Physical endurance
- Sound projection
- Memorization
- Balance in the ensemble