This week was a week of insanity in the music department. All private lesson students play a scale and 2 pieces in front of their private teacher and another music teacher. The other music teacher then gives constructive feedback, both encouraging the student to continue the things they are doing well, and giving technique tips or advice on improving their piece.
This meant that we each saw approximately double the amount of students we normally teach. I was involved in 39 juries; Marit had somewhere around 45! Both of us found them to be helpful – not just for the students, but for us as teachers. Having an outside perspective on a student is valuable. There were several “Aha!” moments during juries where the adjudicating teacher pinpointed that one thing the student needed to fix a problem or polish a performance. Marit and I came up with all kinds of new ideas for each other and for our own teaching. For example, we coined the phrases “The mighty bow” and “the power of the eyes” in playing with good tone and keeping the bow straight. It is so fun to have the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other and to see our students flourish as we implement these techniques!
The students usually walk in looking somewhat tense and apprehensive. At the end of most sessions this week, the students looked relieved – and many had smiles on their faces! One particular cello student said, “Aw, I’m kind of sad my jury is over. I learned so much!”
