Inspiring Pupils

Phil's primary aim is to inspire

Above all else Phil’s primary value is to inspire pupils.

Phil: ‘Over several years of teaching, it became increasingly apparent to me that when a pupil is inspired they typically learn vast amounts more than when they are not. On many occasions if I have found a pupil appears not to be learning very quickly, that if I manage to get the pupil excited about their playing, they will typically learn perhaps five times more than they did before they were excited. Whereas prior to being inspired the pupil will drag their feet, once a pupil is excited they suddenly concentrate hard, happily play the section of a piece we are working on over and over again without being asked, and practise far more than ever before.’

Phil suggests 2 factors contribute to a pupil learning more once they are inspired.

Concentration

‘Pupils typically take little in if they are bored or uninspired. They will be distracted and if you ask them to explain what you just said, you will often discover they weren’t really listening. Teaching becomes boring and hard work. In the worst case scenarions, if a pupil is not interested in what I am teaching, I can ask a pupil the same questions for a year, or teach the same scales for and find that a pupil still has not mastered what I am teaching.

However, when a pupil is inspired, they typically will concentrate all their attention on what you are saying. They will also ask questions at points where they do not understand and perhaps even explain things back to you in their own words. All of this helps to reinforce the information they are learning. The difference in speed of learning between a pupil who is not interested and a pupil who is excited and inspired is huge.

Practice

‘The Psychologist Erricson has dedicated much of his life’s work to demonstrating that a key factor in relation to a pupil learning is the number of hours a pupil dedicates to practising the skill she is trying to appropriate. The uninspired pupil will typically play what I ask them as few times as they can get away with. However, the inspired pupil will often play a musical passage over and over again in an attempt to learn to play it. The most inspired pupils will also practise the music they are learning between lessons, and keep trying to play the song they wish to play on numerous occasions during the week between lessons.