The Benefits of a Group Teaching Approach Peter Friesen, M.M.

Some benefits of group teaching Organizational/financial benefits Social interaction Motivation Critical listening Reduced performance anxiety Fun!

Organizational/Financial Benefits

Organizational/financial benefits Increased Hourly Wage! Or…

Organizational/Financial Benefits Flexibility to offer lessons to low-income families

Organizational/financial benefits Slow students generally learn faster through group teaching than through private Can build in a mechanism to weed out students who are not practicing/progressing quickly

Organizational/financial benefits  Less time spent repetitively teaching elementary theory/technical ideas Explaining the same theory assignment to 4 private students = 40 minutes Explaining the same theory assignment to a class of 4 students = 10 minutes

Organizational drawbacks  Lesson times More difficult to find 2-4 students of similar age/level who can meet on same day/time  Make-up lessons Must be dealt with strictly in studio policy; more difficult to organize  Lesson planning Actually needs to happen! But is this really a bad thing…?

Social Interaction

 Enables students to learn in a familiar classroom setting  Smaller groups help to engage many shy students

Social Interaction  Enables teacher to organize learning games for theory, rhythm practice, reading, etc.  Advanced students can help “teach” slower students

Social Interaction  Cooperative Learning Teams students together to work toward a common goal  Avoids negative competition  Promotes exchange of ideas, teamwork

Social Interaction  Cooperative Learning Examples: Four students individually analyze a piece, compare results with each other, agree on final analysis Four students each learn one part of a four-part piano ensemble; after performance, they share what difficulties they encountered, what practice techniques they used to overcome difficulties Two groups of two students work together to find logical fingerings for a technical exercise, then share findings with each other

Social Interaction Cooperative Learning encourages problem solving, rewards students for thinking critically about music.

Motivation

 Students are motivated to practice simply so they do not fall behind “standard” of their peers Reward “model” students with heaps of praise Helps eliminate “nagging” of below- average practicers

Motivation  If self-regulating is not occurring among students, there are options to help motivate students Weekly practice chart in studio with stars/stickers Reward “good” practicers with extra pieces, fun duets Withhold in-class performance from students who are negligently unprepared

Critical Listening

 Weekly in-class performance Extremely regular – not reserved for semesterly studio classes or studio recitals Ask questions before and after any performance Always have directed listening goals

Critical Listening When introducing a new musical concept (e.g. crescendo, legato), demonstrate the idea for the students, then have each try it one by one, asking after each attempt whether the students hear the desired musical concept in action.

Performance Anxiety

Regular performances and demonstrations reduce the stress of recital time

Performance Anxiety  Group classes provide the opportunity to increase positive performance experiences and minimize negative experiences Offer regular low-pressure performances Avoid letting anxious students perform in class if they are unprepared – set them up for a positive experience Positively reinforce well-prepared students and solid performances by anxious students

Fun!

This aspect is very important for students who are not intrinsically motivated Group activity options – practicing rhythm, note-naming, movement, etc.

Fun! Fun is a motivator Performances become fun Social interaction is fun Positive reinforcement is usually even more effective in front of one’s peers

Making Group Teaching Happen

Don’t make it an option – make it mandatory for a set period of time

Making Group Teaching Happen Plan a year or two in advance, charging a monthly “technology fee” to put toward purchasing (tax- deductible) lab pianos and equipment

Making Group Teaching Happen  Different group formats Pairs Groups of 3-4 Larger groups Weekly group classes + private lessons

Making Group Teaching Happen  Be prepared for more work! Lesson Planning Group coordination Parental communication  Benefits outweigh difficulties