Teaching for independence: creating lifelong musicians.

As music teachers, we teach many different kinds of music to many different kinds of students, ranging from preschool to senior citizens and from beginner to advanced. Our methods and approaches vary, but we all share a common goal: we want our students to become independent learners so they can continue to play and enjoy good music long after lessons have ended. Pedagogy Saturday VIII was devoted to an exploration of some of the ways in which we can foster that independence in our students--and in our own development as teachers. This issue of American Music Teacher contains a summary of the presentations on this theme by the many experts who shared their knowledge and experience with us for this event.

The opening presentation was given by James Byo, professor of music education at Louisiana State University and a well-known clinician and researcher in the area of instrumental music education. Byo spoke on the subject of Practicing: Beyond Hoping They Will. He offered step-by-step guidelines for teaching students to solve problems in their own practice sessions and for assessing students' progress in the development of practice skills.

Following the opening remarks, four breakout sessions on various aspects of the day's topic were presented by four well-known pedagogues:

* Self-Directed Practice: A Key to Both Student Success and Motivation, by pianist Elvina Truman Pearce, NCTM 

* Practicing for Artistic Success: Empowering the Student with Self-Management Skills in the Practice Room, by violinist Burton Kaplan

* Small Moments--Big Impact: Teaching First-Year Students How to Practice, by pianist Ted Cooper 

* Artistry on a Timeline: Setting the Stage for Organized and Successful Performance, by violinist Brian Lewis 

These sessions were repeated in the afternoon so participants could attend a second one.

The final morning session was a presentation on Developing Musical Leadership Skills given by Frank Troyka, band director at Cyprus Falls High School in the Houston area and a nationally recognized clinician. Troyka shared his techniques for helping high school band students set performance goals and measure their own achievement--techniques that can be applied to any instrument at any level--and for teaching students to help their peers achieve their goals.

During the lunch break, participants heard short panel presentations by leaders in the field of music pedagogy, followed by small group discussions and sharing of ideas and questions at the open microphone. The panels were held in two separate rooms, each focusing on a different aspect of the day's topic:

* Encouraging the Reluctant Learner was the topic for panelists Jane Bastien, NCTM, and Alice Hammel.

* Creating the Accomplished Learner was the topic for discussion by Virginia Marks and Robert Weirich.

After lunch, Byo gave a follow-up presentation on Mindful (Not Mindless) Teaching: Ask the Accomplished Learner Question Often. He showed how teachers can promote student decision-making within a structure and can hold students responsible for generating ideas about expressive performance, thereby leading them to musically rich experiences.

Following a repeat of the four breakout sessions, Troyka gave a second presentation expanding on the morning's theme of Musical Leadership Skills, showing how teachers can apply the same techniques of setting goals and measuring achievement in their own teaching.

The afternoon ended with a special reception for participants and attendees of Pedagogy Saturday and Professional Studio Saturday.