Is there madness in methodology?

Call me a naïve idealist, but I firmly believe that the spirit of music is too magical and precious to be bound by any dogmatism or systematic formulae. As soon as artists become rigid, predictable, formulaic or intolerant of exceptions, then they are on a sliding scale towards mediocrity, routine and all stands against freshness and vibrancy. In short, they cease to be artists and metamorphose into pedants. It is interesting to remember that disciples of Leschetizky, surely one of the most important if not the greatest piano pedagogue of all time, who stated over the years that they taught 'The Leschetizky Method' were on very slippery ground indeed since the great master himself always said that he never had a 'method' as such!

How then can we have a 'system' in our work as piano teachers today without descending into a blind pedantry which would make us sterile and uninspiring? Virtually every professional at work in modern society has to produce handbooks and be subject to accountability via appraisals, work plans, records, syllabus guide-lines and so on. Unless we are extremely diligent, the dangerous temptation is to stick to a 'rulebook' and squeeze all of the talent which comes our way into the same repertoire, exercises, attitudes and career paths as though we were human sausage machines.

Surely the answer is to nurture each and every pupil as a totally unique talent. Precious and individual. Every pupil has different strengths, weaknesses and interests. Our job is Herculean in that we need to constantly monitor all the components of a pupil's make-up, gently guide and encourage new interests via inspiration (without force-feeding or suppressing talent in directions which we may ourselves not especially warm to) and make sure that the fundamental basics of musical, mechanical, technical, imaginative, rhythmic, intellectual, emotional and psychological principles are set-up and developed. In our teaching all of us have a duty to develop and refine our 'emotional intelligence' to the very best of our ability. This should go much further than 'delivery' and manner: sound emotional intelligence should be firmly rooted into the basic approaches of all that we do as pedagogues.

We also need to guard our curiosities constantly, and to readily embrace the need for change in all of its manifestations whilst still holding on to basic truths and quests (even though the means by which we reach these 'truths' will also most likely be subject to radical change ). In the Keyboard Department at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, we have attempted to produce a handbook which allows for different 'stages' in all facets of work at the piano. We allow our pupils to work at different levels for the diverse piano 'subjects' which are taught (exercises, scales/arpeggios/broken chords, etudes, solo and concerto repertoire, chamber music, sight reading, quick studies, keyboard skills), and so acknowledge individual weaknesses as well as strengths. There are no blanket answers to problems, though it has to be said that many pupils who arrive at Chetham's for the first time often need lots of intense technical refining and special help with organisation/ assimilation / reading, self-listening, musical discipline, taste and awareness of style.

This is too enormous a subject here for anything other than a few thoughts, but it is particularly worth discussing methodology versus dogmatism in relation to beginners. Beginners at the piano are like virgin soil, and the educational responsibilities are obviously great. But at least the teacher cannot possibly blame colleagues for bad habits and lack of motivation in a complete beginner (not that any teacher ever should really- but that's another subject!), and the 'blank canvas' which we are working with here is especially exciting when dealing with children under 5 who have wonderful postures , are normally extremely enthusiastic and responsive to positive stimulation and, in general, have good co-ordination and natural flexibility.

In teaching the piano it is vital that we take a holistic approach, and in this respect the parents/guardians of children of all ages whom we teach can help us immensely. The teacher needs to work with the guardians as part of a team, and viewed in the correct way, all other activities in the child's life can enhance his/her piano development. Playing sport, doing homework, 'performing' via play games at home and at school, socialising, manners at mealtimes, reading, drawing and so on are all just as vital (probably even more so!) as learning the standard fingering for D melodic minor. Piano playing reflects much more about a child than just his pianism: so often the happiness and imagination of a child's personality and approach to life is reflected in every phrase that is played. Why not then view 'piano practice' as being a 24 hour activity, rather than just the fraction of an hour per day actually spent at the instrument itself?

Returning specifically to beginners, it is essential to develop their rhythmic sense via co-ordination exercises (eg. Hindemith) as well as to get them singing. Singing can be one of the greatest joys in a child's life, and we as piano teachers must never lose sight of the fact that so much of a performer's 'inner conception' of phrasing, beauty and creativity comes from the human voice. Memory exercises, singing and playing back in imitation, playing and singing simultaneously etc is extremely beneficial. Kodaly is one of the all time pedagogical greats, and we could do much worse than embrace his values and beliefs.

With regard to posture and finger independence, it is saddening to note that so many start off so well only to degenerate into rounded shoulders, stooped backs, stiff wrists and so on. The fact that virtually all under fives sit so well should be a warning for later on, and we should obviously constantly develop and nurture an organic ease in our pupils' seat position, approach to the keyboard, and sense of oneness with the instrument. Mechanically the concept of having loose wrists simultaneously with 'fingers of steel' summarises so much of the demands expected for authoritative playing, and this concept should be nurtured from the very first lesson, and constantly re-considered up to the twilight years of any individual's career. Likewise it is never too early to instil organisational skills for practising (such a difficult task!) nor to begin encouraging curiosity, imagination, reading skills and everything else.

But at the end of the day, our constant desire should be to make our pupils independent of ourselves. In this worthy mission, the cultivation of the ability to listen acutely to sounds produced as practice and performance takes place is absolutely vital. Without an extremely sensitive talent for self-listening, a pianist's destiny would seem extremely dodgy indeed. I believe that teachers should do everything possible to develop self-listening in every lesson with every pupil. By so doing, they will cultivate personality and individuality which will stand the test of time and continue to grow. The alternative (pale imitations of the teacher's own playing allied to lack of self awareness and individual motivation) is too depressingly formulaic to even begin contemplating.

Murray McLachlan Jan 4 2003