how does music house work?

How It Works - An Introduction
• Physical Environment
• Lily’s First Lesson
• Activities
• Examples
• Trees
• The Teacher’s Role

Some Instruments
• The Piano – A Map of Music
• The Autoharp – The Magic of Harmony
• Other Instruments

Comparison Chart - Music House vs. Traditional Lessons

Kids' House

Meet Some Students
• Sam, the Renaissance Man
• Lucy – Bread Dough
• Andy – Windows of Readiness
• Paul’s Street Sweeper (a long article)
•  “Significant Things Happen Near Chaos”
• "Mr. Music"

How It Works - An Introduction

The Teacher's Role

“Personally, I'm always ready to learn,
although I do not always like being taught.”
Winston Churchill

I’m scrubbing a pan with Brillo, putting coffee grounds in the sink and washing the dishes. It’s a Music House lesson. Martha is experimenting with the glockenspiel and needs time to be left alone, without anyone looking over her shoulder. I’ve told her to feel free to interrupt me if she needs me, but 5 minutes into it and she hasn’t asked for my wisdom.

When I first began to understand the value of stepping out of the traditional teacher role, it was hard for me to feel comfortable doing it. After all, I’m being paid to teach this child, not to do housework. I would have to stop myself from commenting, suggesting, or even reminding the child that it was okay to interrupt me. Now I have become more trusting of this approach and therefore, more relaxed doing it.

Some children, are so resigned to adult intervention that merely the presence of an adult is stifling, and they are unable to feel free when one is in the room. For Emma, who simply could not relax while I was there, I used to invent reasons for my leaving the room: I need to wash my hands, I need to change my shoes. I could listen, unseen, from the other room. With me out of the way, Emma would explore the keyboard with a freedom that she never had in my presence.

In the Music House setting, the teacher's role is turned virtually upside-down. The plan for the lesson is not determined ahead of time; rather the lesson emerges through a constant give and take between teacher and student.  With the child initiating activities, making all the choices and deciding if, when and for how long he wants to do a particular thing, why have a teacher at all? Excellent question.

The fact that the teacher does play an important part does not mean that her role is easy to define. The following are descriptions of what I see as the important functions of the teacher in a Music House setting. Boldface indicates wording I find myself using that I believe helps the child know I'm offering rather than imposing. Certainly there is no one way to word such offerings. Whatever phrasing the teacher chooses must have her integrity behind it.
 

The Music House teacher is a ...

·         RESOURCE with a wealth of musical knowledge and ability from which the child may draw to serve his musical needs
Example: “Did you realize that a composer names Bach actually used the same pattern you just made up? He was an interesting fellow. Know anything about him? Do you have any interest in hearing some of the music he wrote that has your tune is hiding inside?”

·         PATH CLEARER who keeps the paths to learning cleared of obstacles such as guilt, feelings of inferiority and stigma
Example: “You seem to be a perfectionist. Go easy on yourself – what you’re trying to do is very difficult for most people.”

·         MUSICAL SOULMATE who has the highest regard for, and desire to connect intimately with, the student’s unique musical essence
Example: “When I hear that chord I see a green field in Spring. Is there anything like that ever happens to you?”

·         OVERSEER who is sensitive to the needs of the child and aware of potential learning moments where she might offer help or suggest an idea.
Example: “That was an interesting pattern you just played. How do you think it would sound if you created a sequence: repeated the pattern over and over starting one note higher each time?

OR ...

·         “You’re playing that chord in a low register. If you want the same chord with a different sound, try putting the middle note on top and see how the sound changes.”

It is harder to teach this way than to go straight through a lesson book. Because of the give and take built into the structure, the lesson is open-ended – no one knows where it is going. Success is not measured by the achievement of a goal that was planned by the teacher. This approach requires a willingness to relinquish control, which, for many teachers, is hard to do. However, when the teacher can learn to trust the child and the learning process, the rewards for both teacher and student are immeasurable.