Incoming Wardens' Addresses
The three incoming Wardens, who lead the Society's three specialist sections - Performers & Composers, Musicians in Education and Private Teachers -
took office at the Annual Conference.
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 RAPHAEL TERRONI (PERFORMERS & COMPOSERS SECTION)
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I am very honoured to take over the reins as Warden of
the Performers & Composers Section of the ISM. I must say
that I find it a daunting task in view of the excellent
leadership of recent Wardens. At this point I would like to
express my personal appreciation to Teresa Cahill for her
term of office. She has been a cheerful, inspiring Warden.
Her lively and forthright approach in meetings has been
refreshing and much appreciated.
Like Teresa, my parents were working class. My mother and
father were born in London from Italian backgrounds. My
great grandfather came to England in the 1880s and set up
the family business in Clerkenwell. Terroni’s Italian food
provisions store was at the heart of the Italian community
in that area. John Barbirolli was a young local who attended
St. Peter’s Church, which is next door to the shop, and my
father used to tell us that Gigli sang to a packed church
whenever he was in England and that he listened from the
shop cellar, underneath the altar.
Also like Teresa I had a religious based education, but in
my case it was the formidable Jesuits. I can’t say that I
enjoyed their approach and certainly in terms of musical
inspiration, my formal education at grammar school was
somewhat disappointing. I had been at St Ignatius College
for two years before the music teacher enquired whether
anyone was able to play a musical instrument. My friends
looked at me in disbelief when I announced that I was
learning to play the piano – surely no self respecting
member of the sports teams was interested in Mozart, let
alone able to play the piano. I think that this reaction is
still experienced today by some young male dancers and
musicians, although this kind of prejudice is perhaps on the
decline since the advent of films like Billy Elliot
and High School Musical and TV reality shows like
Strictly Come Dancing and Play It Again.
It was my parents who introduced me to a broad range of
music. Every Friday evening, throughout my childhood, my
father and I would play piano duets. We covered the entire
collection from Westminster Central Library, twice over.
Playing the Haydn and Bruckner Symphonies gave me real
insight into orchestral music. My mother was a very talented
pianist but my father was in charge of my tuition from the
age of 3. My next teacher was John Vallier who had a
remarkable musical background. His mother, Adela Verne, was
a concert pianist and he had studied with Edwin Fischer and
Cortot. His aunt, Mathilde, had been a pupil of Clara
Schumann and studying the Schumann Concerto with direct
reference to scores marked by Clara was an inspirational
experience. Another link with the Romantic piano school was
through my lessons with the remarkable Cyril Smith. He was
renowned for his Rachmaninov playing and whenever the
composer came to England he would ask Cyril to come and play
to him. I eagerly learned as much of the Rachmaninov
repertoire as I could and felt a direct link with the master
composer and pianist.
I mention my background because it does have bearing on some
of my later thoughts and it may also explain that my love of
British music can be seen to be more objective than that of
someone born with a stronger English blood line. When Peter
Middleton, founder of the British Music Society, put an
advert in the musical press, I responded with alacrity and
attended the inaugural meeting, becoming a founder member. I
have served on the committee ever since.
What is it that attracted me to this music? I am at a loss
to put it into words. In a sense my interest in British
music is no different to my other musical loves. I have a
simple straightforward approach when assessing music. Do I
like it? Does it have lasting quality and appeal? My taste
is catholic and I am not really interested in narrowing down
my musical experiences or even trying to rationalise them.
Recently I had a most rewarding day looking through the
manuscripts of an English Composer – Walter Gaze Cooper, who
died in 1981. It was a deeply moving experience and a
privilege to see the life work of a composer who had
received only local recognition during his lifetime. Whilst
making no claim that he is another Vaughan Williams, I am
puzzled as to why there seems to be such limited scope for
British composers to hear their compositions, particularly
if they don’t express themselves in the current idiom. All
too readily, composers in this category fall out of favour
because they do not meet the current trends of the day. But
if they are composers of quality, why do we so shamefully
neglect them by not including their works in concert
programmes?
We are blessed in this country with what must be one of the
most prestigious music festivals in the world – the BBC
Promenade Concerts. This unique and magnificent series of
concerts presents music and great performers from all over
the world. It reaches an amazingly wide audience and the
exciting thing about the Proms is the diversity of music
performed and the presentation of specially commissioned new
works. All of us here must applaud this. However, there are
some puzzling facts that I would like to share with you. I
have surveyed three recent Proms series and have discovered
that only 20 per cent of the composers represented are
British (living or dead), and that the majority of these
appearances were by Elgar, Britten, VW, Delius, Walton, or
Purcell. All worthy of course but generally frequently
performed elsewhere. 2.8 per cent is the figure that
represents other British composers that are not frequently
programmed elsewhere. Composers such as Ireland, Bax, Bliss,
Alwyn, Lennox Berkeley, York Bowen, John Foulds, Moeran,
Scott, Rubbra, Hurlestone, Bantock etc. either have been
omitted or have received only very minimal coverage. The two
most puzzling omissions occurred in the centenaries of Bax
and Alwyn, when not one of their fine symphonies was given
an airing even though there are now available two complete
sets of Alwyn Symphonies on CD and three sets of the Bax
Symphonies. These works have received universal acclaim, yet
in the feast of music that is most accessible to the general
public – when this music could be really promoted – not one
performance! Surely the figure of 2.8 per cent could be
increased. One could argue that 20 per cent is a fair
representation of British composers, but just imagine an
Italian opera house with only 20 per cent of Italian
composers featured. In fact, British opera, apart from
Britten, has also had short change from leading opera
houses.
I don’t want to overstate the point because to do so might
label me as a jingoistic fanatic and anyone who truly knows
me is well aware of my wide ranging musical interests. The
argument is sometimes made that British music is not more
widely performed because there is no market for it, but I
recently spoke to someone who works in a provincial CD shop
and he told me that the interest in lesser known composers,
particularly British composers, is on the increase, and that
labels like Dutton, Lyrita, Naxos and the BMS have greatly
increased their output in recent years.
There is a word of warning here – the overriding reason for
promoting any music must be its quality and craftsmanship.
All those composers previously mentioned, and many others,
have these qualities in abundance. Television and radio
coverage of the Proms is huge and we all know young people
who attend this great festival, partly because of its unique
atmosphere and partly because of its reputation. Let’s face
it, for some it is the first contact they have with so
called ‘serious’ music. Do we really want to miss the
opportunity here to present the complete range of musical
styles produced in this country? I am not suggesting all
British music is good, and indeed some lesser known
composers are quite justifiably neglected, but an increase
even to 5 per cent would give some promenaders, and indeed
some listeners at home, the chance to hear music that is
part of their musical heritage.
I must say that despite this area of disappointment there is
much good work being done musically in this country. I
welcome the initiative to bring more choral singing to
schools and I am especially looking forward to the input of
Roger Wright at this year’s Proms season. I think that
attempts to ‘dumb down’ classical music are regrettable but
I do see some movement away from this trend. The heart of
the matter is to programme each concert with flair. I don’t
have any problem with a mixture of the familiar with the new
or re-discovered piece, but what I have recently found
frustrating on the opera front are gimmicky television
performances that attempt to reach out to a wider audience
but so often fail due to inadequate singers. Perhaps some
producers underestimate the intelligence of audiences, but
surely what we admire most are the performers who move us,
whether we are listening to Tony Bennett or Natalie Dessay.
Maybe some performers try to be too intellectual in approach
and
fail to communicate the essence of the music in the way
that, say, Cortot or Richard Tauber were able to do, even
through inferior recording quality.
One thing is certain: for me, music has been all embracing.
I have been fortunate in pursuing professionally my hobby.
There have been highs and lows, serious and hilarious
moments. A high for me was winning the first ISM/Nat West
Festival Days Competition – the brainchild of the late
Pamela Bowden. I made many musical friends through this
competition and thank the ISM for having the imagination and
bravery to present this platform, which turned out to be a
considerable boost, both to my career and that of my fellow
prize winners.
Anyone involved in public music making must have stories to
relate that are both touching and amusing. I remember an
occasion during a recital at Aberdeen University, whilst
playing a piece by Chopin, that a lady in the front row was
crying. My immediate thought was – she feels sorry for me,
it’s that bad – but afterwards she introduced herself saying
how much she had especially enjoyed the Chopin and that it
had been a favourite of her husband’s. A slightly different
response to that of a well-known eastern European pianist
who came backstage after performing a Mozart Concerto
saying, ‘There was not much applause. Never mind – perhaps
they were too moved’!
One of my most memorable amusing moments was in my early
days as music master in a prep school. One of my duties was
to prepare music for weekly assemblies. On this particular
Friday I chose the March from The Love of Three Oranges
by Prokofiev. I duly wrote this down in the assembly book
and at the end of assembly, the head, who I greatly admired
but whose taste in music did not go beyond Salad Days,
announced: ‘Boys, Mr Terroni is going to put on a record of
the Love of Thirty Ranges by Prokofeef’. Chaos ensued with
the staff doubled up laughing, the boys looking bemused and
myself almost on the floor in tears of laughter. Happy Days!
Thank you for giving me the honour of representing you. If
anything I have mentioned today strikes a note with you and
opens up a debate, I would be delighted. In any case, may
the force of music be with you.
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 RACHELLE GOLDBERG (MUSIC IN EDUCATION SECTION)
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It is an enormous pleasure and honour to be elected
Warden of the Music in Education Section for the coming
year. As a member of the Society for nearly thirty years, I
am proud to serve the Society and meet the demands of
members who need support, sharing curriculum ideas and
indeed encouragement in their particular field. The Section
incorporates a wide perspective from early years to adult
classes, in other words Life Long Learning, which in Local
Authority terms has been only a recent development.
I want firstly to express my personal thanks to Tim Daniell
for his inspired chairmanship of the Section during the past
year and indeed thank those members of the Committee who
have completed their terms of office. Congratulations to the
new Warden Elect and members of the incoming Committee whom
I am looking forward to working with. Special thanks must be
made to the Staff at the ISM Head Office for their
expertise, particularly Fiona MacLeod and Alison Pickard who
deals with the mastery of the brief so expertly.
Before embarking on some thoughts about music education I
should point out that this is the second occasion that I
have served on the MES Committee. The first occasion was
some twenty years ago when I also served as chairman of the
Young Members Section, and I believe I was the last one to
hold this office. I have also served on the West London
Centre Committee as well. I am also a member of the
Performers and Composers Section. I have been a very active
member of the European String Teachers Association British
Branch for many years.
I want to share with you my first experiences of music as a
child, my subsequent musical development, important
influences in my career and how this has shaped my own
guiding principles.
Born in Harrow, an only child, my parents played music at
home and went to concerts. Starting at a private school at
two and a half I entered the wonderful world of music,
learning percussion, and playing in a class percussion band,
as well as singing every day. When my parents moved to
Kenton, I attended a state primary school where singing was
also a regular part of school life. As well as continuing
percussion, the class listened to the BBC Time and Tune
programmes and there were weekly country dance lessons. The
school participated in a yearly Borough Music Festival, and
one year I was one of four pupils from the school selected
for this particular festival. This occasion was a life
changing moment because during the concert
I had the opportunity to hear a group of thirty children
performing on violindas.
What was also particularly memorable was the fact that they
were not performing a piece by Adam Carse or indeed a simple
Bach Minuet but a German folk song which was popularised by
Elvis Presley, Wooden Heart. I think it must have
been in the charts at the time.
Some time later the head teacher of my school decided to
introduce violin lessons for my class to be given by
Elizabeth Copperwheat and I asked my parents if they would
buy a violin for me. The lessons were free and it is likely
that I would have not started if my parents had had to pay
for lessons.
I was also encouraged by two neighbours, who used to invite
me to play the violin whilst accompanying me. Subsequently
my next door neighbour gave me the piano as a gift and I
started lessons with David Perkins who is an Emeritus member
of the Society. I then also commenced private violin
lessons..
On transferring to the grammar school in Harrow I received
tremendous encouragement from my music teacher, Anne
Philips, and also from sixth formers who acted as
accompanists and mentors. Singing in choirs, playing in
orchestras and regular performances were all part of school
life.
I subsequently auditioned for the Middlesex Schools
Orchestra and Youth Orchestra. One of the most memorable
choral performances that I participated in was in the
Schools Orchestra with the Schools Choir at the Westminster
Central Hall with Sir David Willcocks conducting Haydn’s
Creation. My first encounter with political lobbying in
trying to maintain the two orchestras when Middlesex was
dissolved brought to my attention the problem about arts
funding. I also attended a number of other youth orchestras
and summer courses.
At fourteen I was given a bursary to study the violin at the
London College of Music with Samuel Kutcher. In the final
concert before my transfer to the Royal College of Music, I
was accompanied in the Bach Violin Concerto by none other
than Raphael Terroni (the incoming Warden of the Performers
and Composers Section) with the other violin part being
taken by a friend of Raphael’s.
At the RCM on the Graduate Course I studied with Antonio
Brosa, Henry Wilson and Herbert Howells. During my
postgraduate year I took a part-time position for one year
as assistant to the director of music and strings teacher at
the Boys’ Grammar School in Harrow. I came into contact with
Carl Jackson, a Past Warden of this Section, who was a pupil
at the school. Although having had experience of private
teaching prior to this appointment, I was mentored on the
job.
I subsequently attended violin master classes with Wolfgang
Schneiderhan and Franz Samohyl (head of the string
department at the Vienna Academy of Music) before embarking
on a year’s postgraduate study at the Academy with Gunter
Pichler (leader of the Alban Berg quartet) and Elizabeth
Dvorak-Weisshar for piano.
On my return I was successful in the first round of
auditions for the Hallé, and waited for them to call me for
the second audition and trial period. In the meantime, I
took a position in the Brent Music Service as a violin
teacher whilst awaiting the call. When the call came six
months later I was already ensconced with teaching and
declined the opportunity.
I eventually moved to Hounslow to head up the new string
teaching department and the specialist Saturday morning
music school, forming orchestras and ensembles as well as a
staff quartet, developing professional training for staff,
and where I have continued to develop the Music Service
alongside my colleagues, in primary, secondary and special
school settings, which has brought enormous challenges and
changes. In a personal capacity and in my work with
colleagues, I have always felt that professional
development, whether on courses, shadowing or mentoring, is
vital to one’s own teaching and performing skills..
I want to emphasize the fact that my progress in the
profession was a result entirely of free state education,
including free tuition at the Vienna Academy following a
successful audition. I do not believe that this could happen
today.
The United Kingdom is and has been unique in the way music,
particularly instrumental and vocal tuition, has been
delivered. Central to this has been a core of teachers who
have dedicated themselves to enriching the lives of their
students, young or old. These teachers, either in their own
private studios or from educational establishments, have
inspired their students and have provided them with an
interest the students themselves had no prior conceptions
of, and which, ultimately transformed their lives.
The main nucleus of these teachers has stemmed from Music
Services, which were set up over fifty years ago. In other
countries – particularly in Europe – the main focus of
instrumental and vocal tuition has been in the Music Schools
system. Having spent the majority of my career in Music
Services I feel it appropriate to make some comments about
the various changes which have taken place.
Prior to 1988 when Local Management of Schools came into
being and budgets from the Local Authority started to become
delegated, tuition was free. Thereafter, costs were passed
on to schools or parents, or both, with some alleviation of
costs in the case of pupils whose parents were needy. Today,
Music Services are not the sole providers of tuition as some
work together in creative partnerships to develop projects
with other organisations, thus having a number of funding
streams. Youth orchestras, choirs, Youth Music, Creative
Partnerships, Musical Futures to name just a few examples.
We have also witnessed the growth of Music Centres providing
tuition as well as ensemble and orchestral coaching.
When I first began my teaching career, great emphasis was
placed on the student chosen by aural selection, such as the
Bentley tests. Those pupils who did not fare so well were
either put on waiting lists until an opportunity arose for
them to commence tuition or told that they did not have the
necessary aural skills to take up an instrument. This, of
course, stopped any aspirations the child might have and
indeed completely put them off music. There was some element
of selection for individual and group tuition, but
financially based.
Now many more pupils can have a chance to learn an
instrument or receive vocal tuition, as in the Key Stage 2
Wider Opportunities programme, where the initial experience
is free and the children are provided with instruments. It
encompasses the whole class whose academic abilities will be
at differing levels. It is then dependent upon the teacher
to differentiate the lesson, from those with special needs
to gifted and talented pupils in the class. However, not all
schools will have the chance to receive this to begin with,
as the funding is over a three year cycle. I believe there
is further to go before we can say that all pupils have an
equal opportunity.
Continuity in the following year for example is dependent
upon individual primary schools within a Local Authority
subsidizing the whole class or selected pupils, or indeed
receiving payment from the parents. However, the
socio-economic conditions in some areas deem this not to be
viable, and therefore unaffordable, and I find this
saddening as in my own experience over a third of pupils in
any class show great aptitude for their instrument.
In other Music Services, the taster sessions are for one
term only so that there is a rolling programme of different
instruments. Some Music Services undertake to do
musicianship classes for either a term or a year before
instrumental learning is commenced.
Pupils develop their social skills and become more self
confident in their approach to singing and performing. They
learn to work together as a team, with emphasis on
memorisation, development of fine and gross motor skills,
more focused concentration and use of mentoring, as well as
helping to raise attainment in their other curricular
subjects. The classes incorporate singing games, games for
musicianship and skill-acquiring for their instruments,
improvisation, composition and ensemble playing as well as
listening to live and recorded music.
The class teacher or class assistant is normally present in
the class but the most successful projects are those where
the class teacher themselves participates – in many cases a
non-specialist teacher.
Many non-specialist teachers lack confidence in
participating in music classes, either because of their prior experiences in
music or lack of training.
Primary school teachers nowadays only receive a few hours of
music training during their three or four years education
studies. One in three has received no training at all. In
comparison with my experience, I am mindful of the fact that
the full time/part time primary music co-ordinators were
invaluable. They not only set up groups within the school
such as orchestras, bands and choirs but also kept a
vigilant eye on the instrumentalists receiving tuition in
school, as well as those pupils having private tuition and
supporting their students’ practice, which was so desirable
for the visiting teacher or private teacher. They also
encouraged students to perform in school and participate in
local concerts.
In respect of Key Stage 2 Wider Opportunities I must also
mention the training of instrumental and music teachers
leading the various projects. What has been highlighted is
the fact that there is a lack of specialist training in
primary schools. There are many specialist instrumental and
vocal staff who are equipped to teach individual and small
groups, but not necessarily whole classes. Although they
have the appropriate musical and teaching skills, it is
classroom management and appropriate strategies for
discipline which they sometimes lack. I have mentioned how I
learnt on the job, but these skills have to be developed and
acquired.
As regards individual and group tuition, the specialist
needs to be able to market their instrument, either against
other specialisms or possibly other providers.
What is perhaps not known is that whole classes of violins
were taking place in the late 1900s and indeed up to the
early sixties. The violinda project, which I mentioned
earlier, had started in 1936 in Middlesex with forty infant
children aged six; following two years’ tuition, they went
on to learn violin. John Hullah Brown’s book on Instrumental
Music in Schools published in 1937 cites the fact that over
100,000 children were learning the violin. He also writes
about the violin-class movement of which he was one of the
first pioneers forty years before.
When we say that history has a habit of repeating itself, we
have here an excellent example. He mentions the ‘psychology
of class work, where the spirit of team work, concerted
endeavour, united aspiration in a common cause carries the
effort forward, restrains the over-zealous, smartens the
laggard and unites brain, muscle and enthusiasm in the
achievement of uniform purpose to act and react for the
common good’..
In many primary and secondary schools now there is a greater
range of instruments, both western and ethnic, and obviously
greater choice. Today in schools there is such a diverse
range of styles from choirs, orchestras, traditional chamber
music groups to rock bands, dhol, jazz combos and rap
groups, as well as the development of music technology and
combinations of technology and instruments which is witness
to the pace of change.
In the past, the more traditional youth orchestra was held
to be the pinnacle of success for a Local Authority or Music
Service. Indeed, some were run independently. This was then
developed in other countries such as Germany and Austria at
a much later stage. Many musicians have spoken of the
Venezuelan’s orchestral project El Sistema which was
featured in last year’s Proms, and which is to be developed
in Scotland. What perhaps is not known is that in the United
Kingdom for many years, music education was targeted by
Music Services in deprived areas as well, but educators have
not received any credit for this.
Music has always been part of a country’s cultural heritage.
In Scotland and Ireland for example, the folk fiddling
tradition is still incorporated in instrument tuition as it
is in Northumberland. In England and Wales we have
maintained our choral tradition up to a point, with the
development of amateur choral societies and cathedral choir
schools (unique to our country) but less singing in primary
and secondary schools..
In Finland and Estonia, for example, there are hundreds of
choirs for people of all ages. To rectify our lack of
singing, we have the national singing campaign Sing Up, with
downloadable materials. Do you remember the forerunner, the
National Song Book? This contained material from all parts
of the United Kingdom as well as madrigals. There are now an
outreach projects in a number of cathedral choir schools,
which was so admirably demonstrated at the MES recent
one-day seminar Musical Schools.
I hope that the Sing Up campaign will be a conduit to the
Key Stage 2 Wider Opportunities projects, rather than an
alternative. With all these developments and funding in
primary schools, it is vital that they are joined up rather
than bolt-on projects. It takes time to develop a tradition
and culture of music within a school. It cannot be imposed,
but needs to be embedded. The whole school including the
head, governors, staff, parents and pupils have to be
involved, otherwise projects – worthy as they are – are
short term, however much resources and expertise are put
into them. Denominational schools have singing at the heart
of their worship on a daily basis and in some respects are
more pro-active in their approach..
In the secondary phase there are challenges in the
performing arts faculties, the recent Specialist Schools
developments, and in general, in the transition from Year 6
to Year 7, as the attainment levels of students can vary
depending upon which primary school they have transferred
from. We know that some pupils decide to give up at this
stage because they wish to start something new or are drawn
by the many clubs on offer at their new school. Some pupils
are hesitant to demonstrate their skills or knowledge in
front of their peers.
In addition, there is a review of primary education while
the Early Years Foundation Stage will become compulsory in
September. I hope that there will be further steps taken to
increase music education opportunities earlier from nursery
level, as this is a vital time in a child’s formative
education.
In further education there are also challenges. The
University of Aberdeen in conjunction with the ISM is
holding a one day conference on Saturday week. Entitled
Bridging the Gap?, it will examine the perceived gap between
studying music at school and in higher education especially
in the light of recent changes to national qualifications.
There will be another conference on this aspect next year.
We know from our own experience that some universities and
music colleges have instigated a foundation year in order to
bring the students up to the appropriate entry levels
required.
Other developments have seen the use of video conferencing
for lectures and master classes. The Sibelius Academy in
Helsinki was one of the first to trial this some ten years
ago, with selected violin students receiving expert advice
on interpretation from Pinchas Zuckerman at the Manhattan
School of Music in New York. The video conferencing of
lessons for schools has also been developed in Dumfries, and
this was admirably demonstrated at last year’s Federation of
Music Services conference.
To conclude, I feel it appropriate to comment on
observations of some pupils in our present society..
In some scenarios the choice of instrument is overwhelming,
rather like a Pandora’s Box. Some pupils are bedazzled by
this and seek to change their instrument in their desire to
play a number of instruments for which they acquire only
superficial skills. There is sometimes a lack of continuity
and, in the current climate, a lack of desire for
perfection, stick-ability and self-motivation. In some
cases, children are often more influenced by their peer
group rather than by parents or their teachers. Some pupils
are not appreciative of the opportunities afforded them, as
they have no realisation of costs, living in such a
materialistic world. Students are faced with an enormous
number of distractions. One ten year old violin pupil
chatting to another in an orchestra recently remarked that
she went to nine clubs in a week. Success now has to be
instantaneous, as witnessed in recent television programmes
in the fast-moving and ever-changing world. Of course to
balance this there are many pupils with the right attributes
who work hard to achieve levels of high ability. Indeed, we
are encouraging more pupils to enter the music profession.
Today, as members of the ISM, we celebrate the achievements
of the Society, coming from a variety of establishments, and
as performers, composers and teachers. I know that we gain
further inspiration for our endeavours, hearing a number of
distinguished speakers in this conference setting.
In the new age of ‘personalised learning’, it has always
been the skilled music teacher who has strategies for
progressing and developing pupils’ personality and
knowledge. By contrasting the developments of music within
education, I believe that our goal has always remained
constant. That is, to inspire, develop and educate through
high quality learning, teaching and performing, a musical
personality who is able to interact with fellow musicians of
whatever genre, and interact together with the personality
and wishes of the composer. First and foremost I believe our
core aspiration is to enable the learner to develop
independent learning and autonomy, having a lifelong skill
in playing and or singing and a lifelong love of listening
to music.
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 PETER WILD (PRIVATE TEACHERS SECTION)
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May I say how pleased and indeed honoured I am to be
standing here today as I embark on my year as Warden of this
Section.
We owe much to past Wardens and committee members but I’d
particularly like to thank Charlotte Ellis and her immediate
predecessor Helen Marcus (who today stands down as Past
Warden) for their care and dedication in tending to the
needs of the Section, for presiding over committee meetings
with such efficiency and flair, and also for the
inspirational masterminding of their respective seminars
which at times have invigorated our ideas and at other
moments have allowed us to reflect and take stock of what it
is we actually do as private teachers.
Teaching has always been an important part of my
professional life; whilst still at school I acquired my
first pupils and despite my inexperience, I developed a real
enjoyment of working on a one-to-one basis.
Pupils were often not lot younger than me and in a couple of
cases were considerably older.
Planning for lessons was great fun; the whole process became
an exciting adventure for me – just as it did, I hoped, for
my pupils.
One thing was soon to become clear, however, and that was
the realization (as obvious as it may seem to all of us here
today) that each pupil had to be treated differently. It was
not going to be as simple as using a standard tutor book – I
would need a wide variety of material at my disposal and
where suitable material was not available, I would have to
create it myself.
I learned also that I would have to be ‘in tune’ with the
individuality of my pupils – the different personalities,
the widely differing abilities – each one progressing at a
different pace.
It might be important for me to have an idea of why they
want to play the piano – their hopes and aspirations; and
clearly, as I was expecting a certain amount of practice to
take place in between lessons, I should also understand
something of each pupil’s home background and school or work
commitments.
Perhaps this was not going to be quite as straight-forward
as I had previously imagined!
Nevertheless, there I was – a teenager learning to respond
to individual needs and to adapt to constantly changing
situations; it was indeed a privileged position to be in.
I understood the importance of first impressions, and making
the right move at the right time seemed crucial in the early
stages of learning. My pupils may not become great pianists
but hopefully, for each one in their own way, I would be
able to sow the seeds of a life-long enjoyment of music.
Clearly, I had been bitten by the ‘teaching-bug’, and my
career as a piano teacher was launched.
During my time studying at the Royal Academy, I was
fortunate to be one of the students chosen to teach in the
piano department of the Saturday morning Junior School. Of
course, I was not going to be ‘let loose’ on first study
pianists. So, I embarked on a new teaching experience,
namely, that of inspiring young musicians who, though
talented on an instrument other than the piano, often tended
to be rather reluctant pianists.
Compromises generally had to be made and I felt that this
was an opportunity to develop my teaching skills further.
Lessons became more varied and with my profoundest apologies
to the Royal Academy, I found myself broadening the
curriculum beyond my official remit!
I tried ‘tapping into’ the inherent musicality of each
student. Often we would do some serious work on a piece and
then use the same piece as a ‘springboard’ for other musical
activities; for instance, we would take a melodic unit or a
rhythmic cell or even perhaps an interesting chord
progression, and this would become the basis of an
improvisation. To my delight I discovered that this approach
would frequently open up new vistas to the student’s musical
imagination and even help to develop a sense of keyboard
geography. On many occasions great fun was had and this
worked wonders for the all-important teacher/pupil
relationship.
My love for teaching continued to grow and my perspective
gradually changed. I had begun my career, perhaps rather
naively, as a piano teacher but clearly I developed into a
music teacher and feel that I am now a teacher in the
broadest sense of the word. The musical journey which I
share with each of my students will embrace a whole range of
life experience; our understanding of the music is
inextricably linked to our understanding of human emotion.
My work today sometimes involves advising other music
teachers on a consultation basis. Teachers will often come
to me with anxieties over early difficulties in the reading
of notation and indeed, significant problems in this
department must surely be a contributory factor in the
drop-out rate of instrumental learners (particularly on the
piano).
I find that sometimes, the heavy emphasis on notation which
often exists in the initial stages of learning can restrict
(or at worst preclude) other vital aspects of musical
development; for example aural and improvisation and even,
dare I say it, ‘playing by ear’!
Indeed, when it comes to improvisation, many teachers say
they are apprehensive and in doubt as to which way to
proceed – though many would like to try it.
Lack of motivation and enjoyment are other obvious factors
in students abandoning their studies at an early stage and
there are times I think, when one should not underestimate
the importance of the student being more involved in the
processes of what and how
they learn.
Students are quite often ‘spoon-fed’ and taught through
passive absorption rather than by stimulation. The average
length of lesson seems to be half an hour, so contact time
between teacher and student is limited. Students therefore
need to become independent of their teachers and, as early
as possible, develop their identities as cognitive assessors
and musical thinkers.
A number of these aspects of our teaching will be explored
in the
PTS seminar which is to be held in London on Saturday 27
September 2008.
I hope that one of our presenters will deal with the subject
of improvisation; how it can be incorporated within the
music lesson, and touching on the new improvisation options
in grade examinations.
‘There is no good musician who does not hear what he sees
and does not see what he hears’. This, many of you will
recognise as a quote from the Kodaly approach to teaching.
If the child can hear what is on the page before playing, he
will have a greater understanding of the music; indeed, if
the musician has already been created – that is to say, the
child already understands musical concepts – there will only
be the technical difficulties of playing an instrument to
think about.
The relevance of this approach to instrumental teachers is
perhaps not always as well understood as it might be in this
country so we have invited the Kodaly expert, David Vinden,
to contribute.
Another area of the seminar I would like to draw your
attention to today is the subject of autistic children. This
may seem like a rather specialised area, but I have come
across a number of such children and I have found them to be
completely captivating. Professor Adam Ockelford, a
specialist in this field from the School of Education at
Roehampton University, will open our eyes and our minds as
he invites us into the fascinating interior world of the
autistic child, with special reference to those children
with musical talents – and in some cases extraordinary
musical talents.
What is perhaps even more interesting for some of you is
that his work with young people with such ‘special’ talents
has led him to further research into how indeed music makes
sense for all of us.
I am also delighted to tell you that Stephen Hough, the
pianist and composer, has accepted my invitation to join us
at the seminar. He is a musician of the highest order; who
both plays, and speaks with the utmost eloquence.
Last year saw the premiere of his cello concerto The
Loneliest Wilderness which was performed by Stephen Isserlis,
and also of two choral works – The Mass of Innocence and
Experience performed in Westminster Abbey and Missa
Mirabilis which was performed in Westminster Cathedral. He
also published his first book. All this, of course, in
addition to his normal schedule of concerts and recitals!
Clearly, he is so much more than one of the finest pianists
of his generation and I for one look forward to hearing him
at the seminar.
So, please do join us in September for what I hope will be a
most engaging day.
Last year, I was fortunate to be given a bundle of old
musical magazines, mostly a mixture of Music Teacher and
Musical Times, which I find myself ‘dipping into’
periodically and reading with great interest and sometimes
great hilarity – incidentally, a copy of ‘The Music Teacher’
would have cost you one shilling in 1924!
Some of the articles have stuck in my mind.
Guidance for young piano teachers was an ongoing series
throughout 1953 and one of the episodes of the series
includes advice on coping with parents. The writer’s
categorisation of parents include ‘the ambitious parent’,
‘the over-anxious parent’, ‘the unsympathetic parent’,
‘parents who are jealous of their children’ and ‘the
dictatorial parent’!
The author’s comments are in some ways quite perceptive and
although today’s reader would consider both the content and
the expression of it slightly idiosyncratic, he would no
doubt find many of these characters familiar.
It is only after the discussion of six rather negative
categories of parent-type that we are introduced to the
ideal parent!
From my own experience, I have to say that it was quite
early on in my career as a private teacher that I realized
the value of supportive parents; of course, I feel it is one
of my duties as a teacher to educate the parents almost as
much as the children – our work and objectives should be
transparent to both pupil and parent. Those of us who work
or have worked with younger children will know the
importance of parent involvement – a child of six or seven
years of age will rarely know the difference between
practising and merely ‘playing through’
a piece.
As one would expect, a regular feature of Music Teacher
magazine was the question and answer pages, offering advice
on a whole host of topics relating to our profession. It was
not long before I developed a real sense of understanding
and appreciation of both the music teaching profession and
of general attitudes to music making during the first half
of the last century. There were times when, reading between
the lines, one could perceive a sense of isolation that was
sometimes felt by the private teacher – a sense of isolation
that might so easily have led to a state of dissatisfaction
and discouragement.
Indeed, on reflection, the magazine seemed to have offered
very good value for money – it may well have been a
life-line for some teachers.
In 1964, the last of the ISM Specialist Sections was founded
– the Private Teachers Section; and although the last
forty-four years may not always have been plain-sailing, we
are proud to-day to offer our members an unsurpassed package
of benefits; and it is my feeling
that at every opportunity we should be proclaiming these
benefits,
so that others are aware of the important role that the ISM
plays in our lives.
I have heard, on more than one occasion, parallels being
made between the ISM and the AA - the motoring organisation
(at least I think it was AA - the motoring organisation and
not AA – Alcoholics Anonymous – that was being referred to!)
but of course, as well as the practical benefits of being a
member, there is the advice and support available from the
staff at Head Office, the sense of shared spirit and
community, which permeates the country through our local
Centres, and the 24-hour Helplines. The knowledge that this
support is available means that none of our members should
have to experience the feeling of isolation and helplessness
that I
mentioned earlier.
I look forward to working with the committee and the team we
have at Head Office. Already, I feel we owe Alison so much
and I know she will be there to guide me during my year of
office.
If any of you have thoughts or concerns you wish to share
with us, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I am happy
to be contacted personally through my e-mail address listed
in the Register of Professional
Private Music Teachers.
Thank you all for listening.
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