The art of teaching.

Musical artistry is a lifelong pursuit, both in our own music making and the musicianship of our students. Additionally, our teaching can be performed with artistry, skillfully leading our students to greater achievement each week. During Pedagogy Saturday X, six expert music teachers examined various aspects of artistic teaching. This issue of American Music Teacher highlights some of the practical and theoretical insights gleaned from the day's sessions.

Two of the plenary sessions were presented by Robert A. Duke, professor of human and music learning at The University of Texas at Austin. His first session, "The Nature of Expertise in Music Teaching," examined some of the basic tenets expert music teachers demonstrate. Duke's second session, "Practice Makes Better, Practice Makes Worse, Practice Does Nothing at All: Setting the Conditions for a Successful Musical Life," explained and applied some of the latest research concerning practice and presented ways to apply this research to music students.

The third plenary session was presented by Fred Kern, the University of North Texas, and Martha Hilley, coordinator of group piano and pedagogy at The University of Texas at Austin. Kern and Hilley combined their engaging presentation styles to present a wide-variety of practical suggestions for incorporating technology to motivate and inspire imaginative teaching.

Three breakout sessions completed the day's program:

* Marvin Blickenstaff, board president of The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, provided a comprehensive overview of technique for the beginning keyboard student.

* E. L. Lancaster, vice president and keyboard editor-in-chief for Alfred Publishing, examined various strategies for reaching the 21st-century music student in his session "Are Students Really Different Today?".

* Rebecca Shockley, professor of piano pedagogy at the University of Minnesota, explained how understanding and mapping the structure of music can lead to more efficient learning and memorization. May these summaries inspire all of us to refine our teaching, helping us instruct our students with artistry and skill.