Preface
Class Teaching of Musical Instruments
by James Joseph
Teaching the bassoon by Kerry Camden
The Last Round-up
About the writer
It had been planned from the start that the meeting should begin with general discussion topics which had been suggested at a previous occasion and this would serve as a "getting to know you" session in which views of a controversial nature could be aired.
After a unanimous agreement that woodwind teaching is helping people to enjoy their leisure time, the question was put, that by its very nature woodwind teaching was elitist. Elitism used in educational terms means SELECTION and EXCLUSION. Looking at it in that sense, some pupils must select themselves but should teachers be prepared to teach anyone who wishes to take up the instrument? Many children have the wrong embouchure entirely, while some manage to overcome this. Other factors which seriously limit the numbers arc the amount of available instruments in the U.K. and the cut-back on man-hours in many authorities. The BENTLEY TESTS are used by some educational bodies, but strangely enough, there have been several cases of success with pupils who have done badly in these tests.
The question addressed to the meeting was: Given unlimited resources, should there be selection by ability? In respect of the bassoon this question could not be satisfactorily answered since the shortage of school bassoons meant that beginners can only be selected by the ability of parents to afford to buy an instrument in addition to paying for lessons. Financial well-being is making the selection for us. County Music Organisers are faced with a choice of "Shall I give this bassoon to jenny because mother is well-shod? "
The second point of discussion on the use of electronic aids in teaching brought several members to recommend the use of metronomes, oscilloscopes, electronic tuners, M.I.D.I. (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), Sound to M.I.D.I. converters, percussion synthesizers and multi-track recording studios. By such means pupils can maintain pulse, pitch, rhythmic control and create tempered scales. On this note the discussion was closed.
Most music teachers regard the private lesson as the "normal" method of teaching instruments. Sadly it is not possible to teach a class effectively by extending the methods of one-to-one tutorials. The fundamental differences between TEACHING and LEARNING must be understood.
It is possible for teaching to take place but no learning to occur! And - it is possible for learning to occur when no teaching is taking place. Only a very small percentage of human learning occurs as the result of the efforts of a teacher! So LEARNING is the dominant activity and TEACHING is the management of learning.
The three activities of Planning, Operating and Evaluating the lesson will ensure effective class instrumental teaching and PLANNING is the single most important activity in which a teacher can engage.
The management of the learning cycle...
1. Decide what needs to be done
2. Select the most appropriate way
3. Act upon it
4. judge the effectiveness
5. Aim for continuous improvement
The importance of stating clearly the goals of the instruction cannot be over- emphasized. If you do not state where you are supposed to be going: (a) You cannot know when you have arrived. (b) Any road can be justified. (c) No one can criticise you if you never get there. (d) You can pretend you have arrived even when you haven't.
Guidelines for lesson planning...
1. The lesson must be part of a sequence.
2. Objectives must cover all the essential skills areas for instrumental instruction.
3. The lesson must be connected to the previous session avoiding a capricious "What shall we do next?" approach.
4. The objectives must be written down and reviewed after the lesson and take their place in the total scheme which should be told to the students in advance.
5. Ensemble music must be given the credibility it deserves as the most realistic introduction to what the students will most likely be required to do.
Practicing
The subject of practice was raised as it is the one thing
that all musicians do. However - all musicians do not practise
effectively. A major problem is that this most important learning
technique is not actually taught at all and is usually developed
over a period of time by pupil trial and error. Practice is at
the centre of the process of learning and clearly it must be taught
as an essential part of music training and as an important "field
of study" is best described as PERFORMANCE PREPARATION
Supposing a pupil makes 6 errors in a piece; the next time he plays it he reduces this number of errors by 2. The errors still persisting have been reinforced however and their subsequent correction depends on extensive repetition to counteract these compounded errors.
(Delivered to the A.W.T. meeting 3.10.87)
Mr. Camden's talk began with a short rundown of how he began at the age of 9 on clarinet with Frederick Thurston. He soon moved to bassoon as there was a lovely Heckel going spare at home. He still has this instrument C. 1928. So he studied with his father, the famous Archie Camden and was eventually called up for National Service. He entered the Band of the Irish Guards for a period of three years. After this he returned to complete his studies this time with Paul Draper of the London Symphony Orchestra. Taking up a professional role with the B.B.C. Concert Orchestra meant that this was to be his last "contract" job as he prefers the flexibility of free-lance work and taking Master-class workshops.
Many young bassoonists come to him at the Royal College for consultation lessons and most of the problems are ones of posture.
Point 1. "The arm must be straight from the elbow to the hand. The head straight. A sling is preferable to allow for mobility but never insist on your pupils playing exactly in the same way like a row of soldiers.
Point 2. Crooks really should not be bent by amateurs but have them adjusted by experts. The choice of crooks in the cheaper range, especially those manufactured in Czechoslovakia, give good response in the high register.
Point 3. For beginners, insist on using and learning one basic fingering for each note, particularly in the upper register, to avoid the confusion which can arise especially when sightreading.
Point 4. Encourage the use of a small general tool-kit which can be stowed in the bassoon case.
Problems...
When asked, "What is your major problem?" many
students say, "Bubbling in the finger holes." The answer
is, "Never lay your instrument down or across your knees
and always keep the bell above the butt end. You must avoid getting
water into the unlined section which causes great problems.
Tuning...
Sit at a fixed-pitch instrument
to relate the sound, but electronic tuners can be neurosis machines.
College students who inevitably do hours of practice alone can
often be unaware that they are playing sharp, unless a careful
check is frequently made. The subject of pitch generally is a
contentious one as most instruments bought from Europe are now
manufactured A 442-444 whereas the standard in G.B. has been for
many years A 440. Also Windband tuning is going up and up, supposedly
to brighten the tone, and the tiredness of players struggling
to keep the pitch up only worsens the problem.
There is a story of one oboist who keeps in his pocket several photos of himself which he distributes among the string players (who object to the pitch set during rehearsals) saying, "There you are, it will save you turning round!"
Tone...
The instrument only allows
you to make your own sound, so that the current trend to
recommend one instrument or another can be dangerous. In fact
some top players sound identical on whatever brand they play on,
given that certain criteria are met with such as reeds or system
are the same.
The weekend ended with a talk and demonstration of the range of Fox bassoons by Laurie Taylor from the firm of Sanderson & Taylor, Edinburgh. As a specialist supplier of oboes and bassoons he once played with the famous HaIIe Orchestra for six years and knows his instruments well. The polypropylene basson distributed by Fox with special keywork for young, small hands was recommended for very young players. The use of plateau keys brings the third finger nearer to the second and generally this instrument has an uncluttered feel, the extra trills having been left off. The middle and professional range of instruments proved to be exceptionally fine in Mr. Taylor's hands.
To finish up, Laurie Taylor said that he was concerned that the French Bassoon should not be allowed to disappear and he called upon myself to demonstrate the latest Buffet R.C. model with the wider bore and sophisticated key lay-out. There was, not surprisingly, vociferous admiration from the members for the tone of both this instrument and the softer tone of the older Buffets from my collection which were on display.
About
the writer
Lewis Dann is Director of
Woodwind Studies at Felixstowe College, Suffolk (East Anglia);
and freelance player of the French system bassoon and contrabassoon.