Welcome to Music Teachers Insightful Practices (MTIPS) Newsletter!
Written and Published by Nicholas Ambrosino
www.musicsimplymusic.com
mailto:director@musicsimplymusic.com

May 5, 2001

Table of Contents:

1. MTIPS Theme
2. Welcome Notes
3. MTIPS Development
4. Notable Birthdays
5. Notable Quotables
6. Q and A

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1. MTIPS Theme

If a student masters the instrument and concertizes all around the world, yet
fails to learn about who he is and how he functions in this world, I consider
the job of the facilitator incomplete. Yet, if a child, does not necessarily
concertize, but finds solace and comfort in his relationship with his
instrument and with himself, the job of the facilitator is complete, and has
been successfully implemented.

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2. Welcome Notes

Welcome to Music Teachers Insightful Practices (MTIPS) Newsletter!

A warm welcome to our MANY new subscribers! It is with much gratitude
that I say “Thank you” to all my colleagues and friends who have passed
MTIPS onto their friends and colleagues. I consider it an honor that you find
MTIPS valuable enough to share. Thanks!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the “Mom MTIPS subscribers!” Don’t forget to
take a moment to kiss, hug and spend time with your children. They are the
future of our world and it is a blessing to have them in our lives. Enjoy the
day that celebrates the most precious gift you have ever brought to this
world!

Shameless Marketing Plug:
If you know someone who would benefit by subscribing to MTIPS, please
forward them this copy and if they choose, they can click on the link below
to become a monthly subscriber.

http://www.musicsimplymusic.com/newsletters.htm

MTIPS is a FREE monthly newsletter that’s goal is to provide piano teachers
(hopefully you!) with insightful practices that will make the career of sharing
music with soon-to-be-musicians a more rewarding and successful one.
Please let me know how I can be of further service to you. You may contact
me at:
mailto:nickambrosino@musicsimplymusic.com

Be sure to check our web site at:
http://www.musicsimplymusic.com
We have lots of information, and resources you can use. We’re constantly
adding and up-dating, so check it often!

MTIPS archives are up! Many MTIPS subscribers have requested back
issues of MTIPS. You can check them out at
http://www.musicsimplymusic.com/mtipsarchives.htm

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3. MTIPS Development

“What do you do?”, he asked. “I am an educator.”, I responded. “What do
you teach?” “People.” was my reply. A bit annoyed, he inquired, “What
subject?” “Music.” “What instrument?” “Piano.” He summed it up, “Oh
so you’re a piano teacher.” “No.” was my response. “Pianos don’t need to
learn; I facilitate people learning the language of music at the piano.” And
there in lies the difference…

I speak with many “piano teachers” who feel that the mastery of the
instrument is the primary goal of their time spent with their students.
Although I am a pianist, I am first an educator - a facilitator. And the
question is, “What or whom, am I facilitating?”

I may be going out on a limb here, and my goal is not to offend, but instead,
to provide a forum for us to reconsider our “job description”. Teachers
usually relay information regarding a certain subject; regardless of the
learning needs of the learner and regardless of the non-subject related
challenges of the learner (ineffective learning patterns, learning readiness,
self esteem, etc.) Facilitators, on the other hand, assist or “facilitate” the
learner through his/her own path of learning the subject. In addition to
providing information about the subject, facilitators provide feedback about
the learner to the learner. Facilitators are coaches. Facilitators assist the
learner in learning about himself, while he is learning about the subject.

Facilitators walk along side the learner, not pulling or pushing with force,
but assisting with compassion and insight. Teachers correct, facilitators
create awareness. A facilitator is chameleon like; he adjusts to the needs
of the student.

As one of my staff members recently stated, “In Spanish, ‘facile’ means ‘to
make easy’”. The facilitator’s job is to find out what works for the learner.
To make it “easy” for the learner to learn. Another staff member said that a
facilitator is like the gutter guard you find in today’s bowling alleys, gently
nudging the learner back on course.

If a student masters the instrument and concertizes all around the world, yet
fails to learn about who he is and how he functions in this world, I consider
the job of the facilitator incomplete. Yet, if a child, does not necessarily
concertize, but finds solace and comfort in his relationship with his
instrument and with himself, the job of the facilitator is complete, and has
been successfully implemented.

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4. Notable Birthdays

Erik Satie 5/17
Alessandro Scarlatti 5/2
Peter Tchaikovsky 5/7

Notable Birthdays is taken from a wonderful book entitled “The Music
Teacher’s Book of Lists” by Cynthia Meyers Ross and Karen Meyers
Stangl. The publisher is Park Publishing Company.

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5. Notable Quotable

“Facilitating is about the learning, teaching is about the information.”
Dara Turetsky,
Certified Music Simply Music Mentor Facilitator
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6. Q and A

Q: Sometimes I get so frustrated with a student. What can I do about
feeling frustrated?

A: Usually, when a teacher is feeling frustrated, the student is feeling
the same thing. Frustration comes from either setting unrealistic goals or
from trying the same thing over and over again, the same way and expecting
a different result. (I once read that that was the definition of insanity!) First,
acknowledge the feeling with your student. This will get the feeling into the
arena of open communication and allow both of you to overcome the
challenge as a team. Assist the student in finding out what is bringing about
this feeling of frustration and then, together, come up with and implement
several solutions, until you find one that creates the feelings of success and
joy that you want to feel. Stop teaching and facilitate!

Copyright © 2000 Nicholas Ambrosino. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute MTIPS so long as this cop1yright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached. The author of this article is Nicholas Ambrosino and he may be contacted at:

http://www.musicsimplymusic.com
director@musicsimplymusic.com

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