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What People are Saying About All previous books written for music teachers *pale* in comparison to our own Bonnie Blanchard's new book "Making Music and Enriching Lives: A Guide for All Music Teachers." Co-authored with her sister Cynthia Blanchard Acree, an award-winning non-fiction writer, this 300+ page book is published by Indiana University Press and is available from Carolyn Nussbaum Music and Amazon. This is THE book that all music teachers have been waiting for (whether we knew it or not!) :) Every detail about teaching music in a private studio is covered - relationships with your students (a priority!), practicing, sight reading, problems and complaints, performance, business practices, and more, more, more, more, more, all broken down into tiny, easy to find and read sections. If you're a beginning teacher, this book is your bible, dictionary, and course guide down the path toward excellence. If you're an experienced teacher, this book is a refresher course, worth at least two semesters of university credits, toward rejuvenating your studio with new philosophies, ideas, practices, and goals. I've never seen a book with so much information, so many practical ideas, such sound philosophy about teaching. Bonnie sent me some chapters of this book before it was published but I didn't change a word, it was so well written and so perfect in its presentation. Bonnie and I discovered a few years ago that many of our ideas about teaching are the same, and so I am in agreement with most (not all) the suggestions in this book. I've been teaching flute for almost 18 years now, and my plan is to read every page of this book with a highlighter in my hand. It's time for me to do something different, new, and exciting in my studio and I know for sure I will find the inspiration for some of those things in this book. Bonnie gave a nice talk at the convention called Transform Your Teaching. Don't worry if you missed it. It was only an hour long. :) The information in this book will take you weeks and weeks to absorb - and it's fun and easy to read, too, full of humor and real life examples. I have no monetary or other connections with this book. I do think that you know that I write reviews by giving descriptions and opinions. I rarely make global or universal statements about anyone or anything, because I think there's room in the world for many wonderful people and things. However, here comes one: In my opinion, this is the best, most complete and comprehensive, most useful book ever written for private music teachers.
The Gazette Making Music and Enriching Lives: A Guide for All Music Teachers
Blanchard is passionate about teaching: not merely dispensing instructions for the flute student, but addressing the whole person. She recognizes the importance of music in education, getting the students’ families involved and helps the student build a foundation for a life- long relationship with music. The first in a series of books Blanchard calls Music for Life, it is well -organized and chock full of tips and strategies, as well as her philosophy on what it means to teach music and instill students with confidence and pride in their accomplishments. This is a book any teacher, new or experienced will find useful and inspiring. Upfront, in Part One: Enriching Lives, are the chapters in which she examines the teacher-student (and teacher-parent) relationship, attitude, motivation, and goal- setting. Part Two, Making Music deals with musicality, practice, chamber music, memorization, sight reading, with many suggestions for making these elements fun and interesting. Part Three tackles Your Toughest Teaching Challenges, covering the many problems you might expect, and quite a few more you might not expect, especially if you are new to teaching. This is another area where Blanchard’s long experience and creative solutions bring benefits. I especially appreciated the chapter on teaching adults, who have their own set of challenges. Lastly, Part Four, Running Your Private Music Studio, will be of great value to those who, after studying music intensively, set out to build a career with very little in the way of business models or experience. I had the pleasure of meeting Bonnie Blanchard at the National Flute Association’s 2007 convention in August. I found her to be a delightfully warm, positive person. Her book is written with the same spirit and good humor. In Bonnie’s own words, “What counts is that no matter how you do it, you give each student your best and the opportunity to reach his or her own potential.” (Emphasis is Blanchard’s) Sound easy? Well no, it isn’t. And she would be the first to tell you that. Making Music and Enriching Lives is a powerful and inspiring guide to help the music teacher find his or her own way.
Making music and Enriching Lives is a scholarly and practical resource for music teachers and music students. The purpose of this series is to give music students, parents and teachers a resource in this competitive field of music, to read, understand and implement in a daily basis. There is no series on all the many aspects of musical pedagogy that is so thorough in its scope of content. Her main arguments focus on personal relationships on all levels between students and teachers and parents. In addition, she is training the student to be a musician, not just a flutist; she introduces performance techniques that address stage fright that are rarely taught at a young age; she helps teachers develop their studio business plan and teaching style that contains advice that up to now was only handed down through word of mouth; and she guides parents, band directors and teachers through the critical practice years of a young maturing musician, up through their graduation. We need a series of this kind written by this woman so devoted to music and its teachings. It is so wonderful to read her philosophy in such a clear structure and in a practical voice.
As to your wonderful book, I haven't finished it yet, but I am enjoying it very much. I think one of the most important points you emphasize is is that relationships are at the heart of teaching and learning. The feelings we have about music are intimately tied to the people who gave us musical experiences when we were first starting out on our musical journey. We might not remember many of the specific pieces we played when we were 10 years old, but we will surely remember the way our teachers treated us and the way we felt when we participated in musical events with our peers. The building of a musical community is an essential part of our job, and one that you do so well. Your students have long benefited from your passion and dedication and now the rest of us can, too! Your book is a remarkable achievement - Bravo!
This is the best book that I have seen on how to teach -- in this case how to teach music, but it is full of tips on teaching in general. The book captures Bonnie Blanchard's fun, funny, wise approach and 30+ years of experience introducing the world of music and love for music to her students from 5 to 85. As Sir James Galway says on the back cover, "...Bonnie's tips and stories will show how to run a studio, motivate students, deal with stage fright, teach artistry, and involve the whole family in music. This book is serious about music, but also fun....". I have been recommending it to all my friends, and especially those who teach anything, as it gets to the heart of the teacher-student relationship and has many stories and specific details on how best to help each student flourish. Plus you will learn about the rubber chicken that squawks if a student hits too many sour notes in a row! Great book! |
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