Teaching Genius: Dorothy DeLay and the Making of a Musician.

* Teaching Genius: Dorothy DeLay and the Making of a Musician, by Barbara Lourie Sand. Amadeus Press, LLC. (512 Newark Pompton Tpke., Pompton Plains, NJ 07444), 2005. 240 pp. $16.95.

Books that pay tribute to famous music teachers can sometimes be little more than worshipful remembrances, lacking intellectual substance. That is most emphatically not the case with this unique, satisfying, thought-provoking and masterfully written portrait/analysis of Dorothy DeLay (1917-2002), the legendary Juilliard violin teacher whose former students include Perlman, Chang, Midori, Salerno-Sonnenberg and many other luminaries of the concert stage. Author Barbara Lourie Sand set out to decode the mysterious magic of DeLay's empowering pedagogy, and her conclusions will be of interest to all music teachers, regardless of genre.

The book is level-headed and thoughtful, and includes quotes from many former students, descriptions of observed scenes in the studio, even statements by detractors who questioned whether or not DeLay's fame was justified. One of the great joys of this book is its assured writing style--short, conversational sentences inviting to the reader, yet shot through with keen intelligence.

Observers have often noted that not only are many DeLay students brilliantly successful, they don't play the same way; each has actualized his or her distinctive style and technique. Sand asks herself quite simply at the beginning of her study of DeLay, "What is she up to? Why does it work?" After sitting-in on countless lessons and master classes over a 10-year period, Sand discovers some recurring themes. Some of DeLay's teaching traits may not seem all that remarkable in themselves but the combination of all of them in one teacher must have been powerfully effective: ask a lot of open questions so students become skilled, autonomous problem-solvers; break down big challenges into manageable bits for success and keep building from there; set the bar high; celebrate every momentary victory; and have a sense of humor.

DeLay was a sharp, honest, plainspoken Midwesterner who combined keen psychological insight and a zest for healthy challenges with a grandmotherly, nurturing presence (famously addressing students as "sugarplum" and "sweetie-pie"). She was endlessly curious about her students, connected with them on a human level and believed they could do great things. At the same time, she knew that an overbearing teacher can stifle students' development, and that there is a time to speak and a time to stay out of a student's way. In one of the book's most intriguing quotes, DeLay admits, "Most of the time I am just sitting here [in a lesson] thinking of things to say and then stopping myself from saying them." Reviewed by William Westney, Lubbock, Texas.

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