I have made a discovery in the last three months that made a huge impact on my teaching. In practicing my own music over the last few years, I only just started practicing technique on a regular basis in January. Since then I have noticed a significant improvement in the speed of learning a new piece. Some of the ways technique has helped me out are:
- reading notes
- finger patterns
- harmony (knowing what you should expect to hear without having heard a recording of the piece first)
- even rhythm
- speed (when needed)
Since noticing this, I have made technique more of a focal point with my own students. Instead of learning pentascales and scales to the point of understanding them, we are continuing to revisit them weekly and cycle through the different keys more quickly. I haven’t yet seen a direct benefit to the students, but expect to see a huge improvement in those that actually practice their technique diligently by the end of the year.
~ Ms. Natashia
