Perhaps anyone who has ever taught playing a musical instrument has asked themselves questions such as: How do the pupils feel during the lesson? What is going through their minds? What is their takeaway from the lesson? Sometimes I ask myself these questions, dear colleagues, but I can't answer them - I've never been to a music school, and I don't know how children perceive it with their own eyes.
So, I present you my own methodological notes with a sense of inadequacy and hesitation because I know that the musical experience of most of you is deeper and goes back in time, to the depths of childhood. Despite the shallowness of my knowledge, I dare to share my insights with you. My belief is that due to going through the process of getting to know and learning to play a musical instrument at a relatively advanced age, I can therefore understand the pupils and their internal state of mind in teaching through the prism of a relatively current experience. I hope that those, who are still searching for their learning style, can benefit from my fumbling, and for those who have their own proven routine, my observations can help bring a little refreshment to the lessons.
The methodological notes are divided into 9 chapters. They are not primarily intended for teachers who enjoy an above-average dose of talent in their pupils. They are designed for educators whose pupils want to play the recorder, develop, and cultivate their physical and mental abilities, enjoy playing the recorder, and performance is not the primary goal. The text is also not a textbook and methodology in the traditional sense - it rather serves as food for thought, and it is more of an attempt to view teaching in a way that is not explicitly described in textbooks. It is an effort to connect available methodologies with practice in lessons. At the same time, it is my personal view of learning and a documentation of what has worked for me over the years. For most teachers, it will most likely be nothing new, given the literature I work with, so I probably will not avoid repeating what has already been said many times. I hope the readers can forgive me.
A number of topics are not discussed here because I assume that colleagues with a real interest in teaching know the methodologies of Walter van Hauwe's The Modern Recorder Player and Jan and Eva Kvapil's Flautoškola, i.e., modern textbooks by M. Zimmermann, H.-M. Linde, etc. I got a lot of inspiration from literature that is not directly related to teaching the recorder. It is, for example, The Technique of Playing the Saxophone by D. Liebmann, Stage Fright by K. Hawas or Choke by S. Beilock. My personal approach to teaching was greatly influenced by the books of I. Yalom, books by M. Feldenkrais inspired me by the approach to teaching music as a form of movement, and I found a lot of important thoughts in the text Effortless Mastery by K. Werner. The reader can find all the mentioned literature at the end of each chapter, I provide citations and references directly in the text due to the structure of the page.
I think I can say that in my lessons the goal and the path are simultaneously growth - the inner growth of those little humans for whom music can,with our contribution, become a helper in discovering themselves through emotions, feelings and impressions that playing an instrument evokes. I know from my own experience, that the memories associated with playing and rehearsing songs, can transport me, like a special time machine, to moments from many years ago. And if others feel that way, even if only some, isn't it worth trying to create good memories of a time filled with music?
I believe I don't need to create lessons in a distracting and playful way. I am convinced that if I offer them through music what they cannot find anywhere else, then they will play happily and beautifully and become kinder people. I do not deny that it is a long way to go, and that not everyone is willing to take it. But I still try.
I would like to thank my dear Karolína very much for her support in the making of the recordings and the whole project. I would also like to thank Gabriela Coufalová for reading the texts and for the words of encouragement, as well as everyone who supported and believed in the idea. The creators of the website - David Winter and Pavel Martínek - did a great job – thank you. Last but not least, I would like to thank my pupils and their parents, who were at the birth of the recordings and whose work with the recordings showed me the direction to go.
