Pause
‘I told you to practise!’
‘But I am practising! That’s a fermata (pause) over a rest sign, which means I need to prolong the rest and I am still playing my piece…’
Following and Initiating
Finding the balance between following and initiating is probably one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. Most of the young pupils (especially under 6s) find it hard to follow instructions. They perhaps haven’t quite grasped the idea of having lessons and would like to spend the time chatting with me. The art of teaching young pupils, is perhaps to master balancing following and initiating, such that they could take ownership of their learning, made to feel comfortable and confident to learn whilst ensuring that they would be led on the right track.