Making Music and Enriching Lives: A Guide for All Music Teachers (Music for Life)
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Making Music and Enriching Lives: A Guide for All Music Teachers (Music for Life) Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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The best music teaching book on the market - practical, enjoyable and inspiring!
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Bonnie Blanchard's book "Making Music, Enriching Lives" is a joyful, fun and inspiring read, imbued with the author's enthusiasm and humor. The book is pleasantly personal, filled with many stories and examples, which go straight to the heart of teaching. The numerous suggestions offered are practical, rather than mechanical. For example, the book does not cover the physics of tone (the air hits here at this angle, etc), rather it offers ways to help students find and instill in themselves the motivation and desire to practice tone. I read the book, cover to cover, over a long weekend (away from my teaching studio) and was reenergized upon my return - this book is its own "mini-teaching spa/retreat"!
The book is unique, specifically because of its focus on the "human" side of teaching - drawing attention to students' varied abilities, personalities and learning styles. Ms. Blanchard presents many suggestions to help build and nurture the student/teacher relationship, as well as the teacher/parent relationship - both primary factors for student success. In addition, it not only encourages us to challenge and raise the bar for our students' playing skills, but to do the same for our own teaching skills.
Ms. Blanchard reiterates the importance of teaching the "whole" musician, rather than "a piece of music". She offers helpful suggestions for incorporating fundamentals and musicality within each lesson and provides many pointers to help students build their problem-solving and independent learning skills. The author includes a valuable list of suggestions to help students become creative and critical thinkers.
The sections discussing the varied learning styles of boys vs. girls, as well as the section specifically addressing the characteristics of adult learners are extremely informative and helpful. The author places important emphasis upon the learning process and the skills acquired and enhanced throughout, rather than placing the most important emphasis on what the author defines as "outcome goals" (winning the audition, something in control of the judges, not the student). Also unique is the Ms. Blanchard's "Music for Life Notebook System", which ultimately provides students with a personalized reference of all they have learned.
Overall, the book was a refreshing look at many aspects of teaching, offering a myriad of ways to lead each student to their fullest musical potential, through a balance of hard work and fun! One of the most memorable lines in the book is Ms. Blanchard's statement that, "Many musicians decide to become music teachers because the love music. A better reason would be because they love helping people". I believe this not only best sums up what teaching should be, but also the overall nature of the book - "Making Music and Enriching Lives" helps teachers, help their students develop skills to experience joy, confidence and success, in music and many other areas of their lives.
"Making Music and Enriching Lives" offers something for everyone - new teachers, experienced teachers, burnt-out teachers, teachers relocating or teachers of any instrument. The title is well suited to the book, as it will "enrich" the teaching of those who read it and in turn "enrich" the lesson experience of their students. I highly recommend this book to all teachers - keep it in your library, as you will undoubtedly refer to it often. If possible, for the first read, find a quiet spot, curl up with a good cup of tea and be inspired! |
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Making Music and Enriching Lives: A Guide for All Music Teachers (Music for Life) Books In Print, Audio Books.