In past blog posts, we talked a lot about our philosophy of music instruction and why we help local families to help their students to advance on their musical journeys.
Today, let’s talk about a component of that which is related to enjoying your musical instruction in the company of your peers.
You’ll sometimes see our students sitting around in a circle going over some of their techniques or other aspects of music.
Why do this?
Professional Impact
We know through research and experience that when you’re enhancing certain skills and learning mastery over music theory material or other music related curriculum, you often profit from talking about these things with people who are also learning along with you.
This kind of professional input is helpful to our students, and gives them an outlet to talk about where they are, and where they want to go in terms of music instruction. Students talk it all over, all of the facets of learning at their levels, and they get a new way to think about music as they go, in an optimized environment where they have a lot of resources to do self-study or get their own particular questions answered.
Socialization
We also know that music instruction isn’t just about music theory.
We see students blossom socially as they relate to others and spend time interacting over their instruments and sheet music.
That’s why we talk about this type of instruction as building a well-rounded person and helping them to achieve the self-esteem and confidence that will serve them well in adulthood. We are proud to see our students develop in this way and use the resources that are here to build up a well-rounded music education, including the achievements that match their own goals!
Instruction and Evaluation
In addition, there are some times where a student circle can be effective for introducing new instruction. Maybe it’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel by going from one person to another to deliver some type of curriculum. Also, the circle can be an opportunity for an instructor to evaluate, (usually quietly and behind the scenes.)
That’s a little bit about “the circle” which is just one small part of what we do at Westminster Arts Academy to shepherd students through levels of music mastery. But at the end of the day, it’s an important part! Let us welcome your own child to the circle and give them the tools to learn.
