How many years of study to become a teacher?

[tony-morosco]

Primary school is one thing, but where I went to high school teachers did have to have masters degrees in their subject. Teaching 2+2 may not require it but teaching advanced calculus or trig does. I would think most harp teachers would expect to guide their students from twinkle twinkle up through the advanced repertoire.

Where I live now high school teachers don’t have to have a masters and the percentage of

[Karen Johns]

Well, I have a different perspective on this. I currently have two harp students who are beginners- one is just beginning and the other has progressed quite nicely with my help. I do not have an education (degree)

[carl-swanson]

What a long and interesting thread!! I’ve just read most of it and there are some very good ideas here. I agree with some and not so much with others. Teaching is a slippery slope and it’s obvious in this thread that it is difficult to quantify the qualities and prerequisites of a good teacher. Here are some thoughts that have come to me on this subject.

There is a simple and obvious reason why a harpist who is very advanced in ability and who has a lot of experience has an advantage over someone who is not as advanced and has a shorter history on the harp. The more advanced and experienced harp teacher has a greater base of information to draw upon when teaching. A newer harpist with little or no experience can, at best, teach what he or she was taught and in the same way he or she was taught. No range, and no base of information to draw on. It’s a little like watching a workman do a job in your house(like a plumber or carpenter). If he has a lot of experience, what he does looks so easy and obvious that you say to yourself ” I could have done that.” But he was able to size up the situation fast and pick the right solution(out of 100 solutions) for that particular job. it’s the same with teaching. Every student(even at the same level) is different, and the experienced teacher will contour his or her teaching to match the needs of each student.

Beyond that, some people are better teachers than others, and some teachers get better with time and others do not. In addition, many good teachers are really good for one level of student(like beginners, or very advanced students) and not good for any other level. The wise teacher knows what he or she does well and sticks to that, then passes the student along to the next teacher who can then do what the student needs next.

Both the teacher and the student need to monitor and evaluate the teacher/student dynamic constantly to make sure that the student is really learning and progressing. The teacher needs to ask him/herself, “Is this student playing better now than 6 months or a year ago?” “What is better about his/her playing?” The student needs to ask the same questions. “What can I play now that I couldn’t 6 months or a year ago? How has my ability improved over the last year? If it hasn’t, then it’s time to change teachers.

The problems of poor teaching can happen at every level, from beginner to University or Conservatory. The fact that the teacher is in a major orchestra, or has taught at the university level for years means nothing as far as his/her teaching ability is concerned.

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