On Requisite Skills

There are almost too many skills to number that are vitally important for music educators, but the following three traits especially stand out to me:

Perseverance and Work Ethic: It is necessary to maintain a positive, professional attitude toward your ensemble and your music. Regardless of the starting point, there is nowhere to go but up. Each time we rehearse a piece, contribute constructive criticism, and the ensemble will continue to improve. As Peter Boonshaft writes, we often subject our students to lengthy repetition in rehearsal. However, all that repetition is not for nothing. With each cycle through the music comes improvement, and after some time, the performance gets significantly better. Over the course of years, young musicians will learn the value of a job well done. As they polish their craft, they will gain a new appreciation for the intricacies of being a valued member of their ensemble.

Knowledge and Skill: Of course, in order to teach young musicians how to become better musicians, educators must be well versed in the fundamentals of music theory and repertoire, as well as the art of conducting. Frank Battisti discusses the required skills. His requisites range from the painfully obvious, like knowledge of clefs and musical notation, up to varied performance experience and administrative skills. He details how different types of performances contribute to building different skills. Chamber music, for example, helps us learn to listen to our fellow musicians, collaborating to perform as one player, while playing in a larger ensemble allows us to study and analyze the conductor's style to use for the benefit of our own conducting. Battisti also notes that we should observe other aspects of the arts, such as theatre and literature, in order to stimulate our minds.

Passion and Dedication: Battisti also recognizes the importance of a positive attitude toward our music, and the hard work that is required to become successful. He draws parallels between musicians and sport stars, like Michael Jordan, whose name has come to be synonymous with being the best at what you do. When Jordan retired from basketball the first time, he tried his hand at baseball, with not very much success. But instead of quitting on the spot, he kept with it for years, taking baseball lessons even after making a return to the NBA. This persistence shows Jordan's passion for excellence in sports, a passion that musicians should take into their own pursuits. Throughout my own public school career, I was lucky enough to have three of the most passionate orchestra teachers I have ever met. They labored to keep their students involved in the ensemble, making rehearsals fun, and provoking young musicians to want to race home and practice their instrument after school every day. Their dedication was not only useful in keeping me in the music program, but also led me to decide to become a music educator as well, following in their footsteps.