“Shhh…I’m Focus-ating”
It’s funny how random moments stick with you. Though it took place when my current studio was just a dream (back when I was a travel teacher!), I will never forget this lesson, this student or this term “focusating”. In fact “focusating” has become a word that I use semi-frequently at home and in the music room now when I (or someone nearby) is visibly working extremely hard on a specific problem or task at hand.
In this particular moment, my student had been asked to sight read an upcoming assignment from her lesson book. I always tell my students to take a minute and look over the piece…but the piece was eight measures and that minute had come and gone. So I gently asked, “what is it that looks challenging?” and she (quite adamantly) replied with the title quote. This then made the lesson quickly dismantle into giggles as she realized her mistake in terms and explained that OBVIOUSLY it was a mixture of focusing and concentrating. A very serious mixture of the two.
Have I mentioned that said student was five years old at the time?
And now, eight years later (my how time flies!) Radcliff Music Studio has made the shift toward some real focusating. What an exciting time! I have personally taught over 150 students at one point or another since that day through group classes and private lessons. I have explored multiple teaching methods, record keeping systems, marketing plans, app subscriptions, games, activities, curriculums, events……..phew. And God bless them, my wonderful studio families have stuck with me through all of it, being patient every step of the way through trial and error (and great sucess as well!)
And after all of that exploration, I have come to the realization (get ready for this, it’s a big one that you’ll never guess, I’m sure) that I can not and should not attempt to do it all! And guess what — it is okay to not use the newest and coolest thing, or to put your students into the curriculums and events that your mentors do!
At my studio, we are going to “focusate” on the things that I find work for my style of teaching and my style of students:
Now, please allow me to get this out of the way: I’m not saying that teachers that do the things in my “no” column are bad teachers or that students won’t thrive in programs that use those methods of instruction. Good and bad have absolutely nothing to do with it. In fact, let’s just throw out the association between yes/good and no/bad as a general rule, shall we? We might all be better for it in the long run. All that I’m saying is that my studio thrives when I’m in MY zone as a teacher, when I’m focusating on what I do best. My YES column is what I particularly do best.
There are other things that I could list, but I believe that gives a generally good idea of my “focusating” areas at the studio. Can I do the things in the “no” column? Yes. Have I chosen to let some of those things evolve into what is in the “yes” column? Definitely. I have taught weekly group classes for adult theory as well as weekly preschool group music classes and, truth be told, it was SO STRESSFUL for me because I’m someone that prefers the one on one interaction. That’s why I love the hybrid rotational lesson format where I can include group workshops when it suits me. I have done “how many minutes” summer practice challenges where students competed to practice the most. Guess what….the results weren’t phenomenal in the realm of student progression. Instead, my students now set their goals for their pieces for each week’s practice and we work on focused practice each week. This may mean that a student is working on the dynamics for measures 8–24 in one piece, while working on the rhythm for their second piece in it’s entirety without their fingers touching the keys, and then also working on adding staccato on the second page of their third piece. These are examples of changes that I have made in the way that I present my teaching to better suit. It requires letting go of what doesn’t work, even when you think that it should. Even when it “seems” to work for everyone else on social media and professional forums.
I look back at that lesson and the days of travel teaching and rushing from house to house. Back then I taught out of a bag and had tambourines shaking in the back of my big obnoxious Isuzu Trooper constantly. I taught solely out of big publisher lesson books and had not even heard of the term “off the bench”. It was crazy and hectic, but I don’t regret a minute of it because it brought me to where I am, and where the studio is today. It has been a long journey thus far and I am no where near perfect, but I’m growing and changing for the better and so is the studio. I’m hoping that I can pass on some of my ability to evolve as a teacher, musician and overall human to my students. Just because you can do it “all” does not mean that you should. And whether you CAN do it all or not really doesn’t matter. It’s what you “focusate” on that shines. What will you “focusate” on?
