Theoretically Speaking...

Theory has a bit of a bad name. Which is a shame. Because theory can be both a lot of fun and hugely helpful... like anything if it's well taught. Theory teaches us about how the world of music works - and through a knowledge of theory we can play with more insight and indeed more expressively. It teaches us about the nuts and bolts of our wonderful art.

I much enjoyed writing my 5-volume 'Improve your Theory!' series and I think I can safely say that it's probably got more jokes than most other theory books! I'm so delighted that Pamela Rose has decided to create some teaching videos based on my 'Improve your Theory!' series. She's a real theory expert and it's terrific to have such a generous endorsement. 

Here's Pamela's 1st instalment based around the opening pages of Book 1....

Clarinet Basics Teacher's Notes

If you are a clarinet teacher or player - can you remember why it was you took up the clarinet?

In my case, it was my mother's decision and very grateful I am to her for that! But I do remember being extremely disappointed on discovering the fact that my clarinet broke into 5 little pieces and fitted into a small box.. 

My school journey every day required 4 stops on the London Underground and I was envisaging my fellow passengers looking at my extremely long and intriguing case with considerable envy and interest. The little case unfortunately had no such effect...

Can you remember your first lesson?

Amazingly I can... I was in a group of 4 and my teacher was the great John Davies, who went on to teach me at the RAM. Lessons were such fun. 

Should you be using my own fun approach, Clarinet Basics (and of course I'm delighted if you are) you may not know that I've written some extensive Teacher's notes to go with the book. They're full of Simultaneous Learning type activities and many suggestions to help make the lessons come even more to life. You can find them on the Faber website, but as the route there is a little elaborate, Faber has allowed me to present them as a free download here - I hope you find the notes useful.

News from Denmark and thoughts for a productive new term

Following my tour of South Africa, I’m just back from a wonderful visit to the “happiest country in the world”, Denmark, presenting teaching workshops, giving a recital and working with young players. Wherever I go in the world, there are two things I can always rely on: the unqualified enthusiasm of young learners and the reflective and thoughtful enthusiasm of their teachers. 

Our aim in life should always be to make things better. Through our music, it should be to refine and develop our own playing or singing and to guide our pupils to develop theirs. To do this we all, teachers and students alike, simply need to open our minds. We need to minimise the ego and allow ourselves to re-evaluate our methods with unconditional honesty.  

That will be at the heart of the fourteen insets I’m about to embark on as the new academic year gets under way. I shall be talking about Simultaneous Learning, Group Teaching, Being a Virtuoso Teacher, Teaching in the Digital Age, and much more.  I hope we may meet during these next two weeks. 

Whether we do or not, I hope 2016/17 is a great year for you.  Let’s do our best to transcend any problems, enjoy our music making and teaching and try to inspire others with what we are doing! 

Teaching in Copenhagen, August 2016

My time in South Africa

Having been back from my adventure to South Africa for a couple of weeks now it’s very good to look back on it and muse on the many exciting experiences I had there. The main purpose of the tour was of course to meet and talk with teachers about this extraordinary thing that is teaching! And indeed I did. In my solitary, but hugely event-packed, week I visited Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Mostly I talked about Simultaneous Learning and it was greeted with much enthusiasm. I found so many teachers eager to explore the positive and pro-active forms of teaching I love talking about and sharing. I also understood why many go to live in South Africa - among other things, their winter is generally more summery than our summer. And although it's still a country with some serious unresolved issues there is something very special I clearly felt manifest in the camaraderie and cheerfulness of all those I met...

I was hosted by the excellent Lovemore Music – music shops are still very much the thing in SA. People go and visit and browse and are sometimes lucky enough to be helped in their searches by Danni and Steve, whose massive knowledge and good humour keeps much of music making and teaching alive and well. In my case they also displayed massive industry and diligence in booking all the accommodation and the many flights and making sure I was at the right place at the right time. Which, thanks to them, I was. Also for the food. I enjoyed some types of fish I’d never even heard of prior to my visit. 

And yes … I did actually go on safari in my suit - travelling light does have its unexpected consequences!   My one afternoon off was well spent in a very well-protected specially designed wagon … and we really were that close to that lion.

VMT annual reviews

Interestingly, a number of friends and colleagues have shown me their 'Visiting Music Teacher Annual Review' form, which seem to be all the rage this time of term. To be frank, I was shocked by many of them. Whoever are thinking these up, seem to have a very narrow (often entirely exam orientated) viewpoint of progress. In my recent Webinar for the ISM on the 'The Challenges of the Digital age', I pondered at some length at what progress is all about today. I found a good analogy in the way children complete and advance to the next level in a computer game. This form of 'progress' is very understandable, immediate, clear and exciting. And we can learn an awful lot from this. In a way, a lesson is a logical sequence of engaging and appropriate activities, carefully set up by the teacher in response to the pupil, where progress is continually achieved. This also chimes in with a young persons need for pace and fairly instant gratification through short term goals.

If you happen to know anyone who is responsible for these unfortunate documents, maybe very gently suggest they might like to spend 35 minutes watching my recent Webinar. If we don't begin to change their views, we will surely end up with more and more pupils becoming despondent and giving up.

Let's get a real discussion going on this, so do add comments below.

Webinar 'The challenge of the digital age'

Much enjoyed presenting my first 'webinar' this week!

The major areas I discuss are...

• How our pupils today differ from those of even 5 years ago.
• How to get more pupils practicing.
• How to develop our own psychological approach to teaching.

And given it's only just over 35 minutes - a whole lot more too!

I hope I've been a little bit provocative, so do let me know below what you think.

Simultaneous Learning Map of the Musical World

I'm doing my first ever Webinar next week!  

It's for the ISM and entitled 'Teaching the child of our time.... the challenges of the digital age' Here's a link about it.... 

http://www.ism.org/professional-development/webinars/teaching-the-child-of-our-time

And if you'd like to join in, here's another link....

http://bit.ly/28MflCt 

During the talk I will be briefly alluding to the Simultaneous Learning Map of the Musical World.

If you'd like a copy, click the button to download... 

Hope to see you next Tuesday!

SIMULTANEOUS LEARNING TEACHERS DIRECTORY

I occasionally get asked by people searching for a teacher, if I know any who teach using the Simultaneous Learning approach. Conversations with many teachers all around the world suggest that many do, but I thought I might try to put together an ‘informal’ directory. If you are a Simultaneous Learning teacher (to whatever degree!) and would like to be included in this directory (and therefore agree for your details to be shared) let me know - will just need name and a point of contact (email, website, phone no etc). Will then put something together on my new website. 

Many thanks!

Do get in touch here or use my email: pauldavidharris@icloud.com

Do share if you know of other interested teachers.

My trip to Slovenia!

Was delighted to have been invited to Slovenia last weekend to speak at a conference for flute players and teachers. 

Those who attended traveled from all over Slovenia and neighbouring Serbia and Slovakia. I was very touched by their warmth and kindness. It was run by the wonderful Ana Pucihar and her husband Blaz, who ABRSM followers will know for his 'Playful Pony' presently set on flute Grade 5.

There wasn't much time for sightseeing, but I did enjoy a short tour of the tiny capital Ljubljana and was treated to a delicious apple crumble ice cream! Also to some street musicians playing some national folk music - a small extract is below - inexpertly filmed on my iPhone! The conference was held in a very beautiful 1000 year old castle. 

I spoke about Simultaneous Learning, which many of the teachers there already knew about and found their questions afterwards insightful and penetrating.

I'm now looking forward to another visit!

Welcome to my new website!

Welcome to my new website!  We’ve updated the look, and there’s more content (and as the weeks go by we shall be adding even more!) But I would like to say a big thank you to Tim Wray, who created and looked after the old website.

The great thing about this new website is that it is much more interactive.  I'll be updating my new blog on a regular basis adding reflection on teaching, music education and other matters . The new blog is fully active allowing you to leave messages (something the old one wouldn’t do) and so there is much more possibility for engaging in conversation (be it virtual!) with me and other readers.

So do let me know what you think and do use the website for asking questions, telling stories, and posing musical and teaching conundrums.

Looking forward to lots of interaction!

Very best wishes,