What You Must Get From A Teacher
Got a note from a subscriber the other day who feels frustrated with the quality of the teaching she is getting.
Now, there are many, many wonderful teachers out there and, of course, there are more than a few not up to the task.
The fact is, no one teacher is going to be the ‘be all’ for every player; maybe not for any ONE player either.
Our needs change as we grow and progress. You must, as in the case of our friend, be sensitive to whether your needs as a human being AND a violinist are being met by the person you’re going to for trustworthy council.
I personally know several people, for instance, who were quite damaged emotionally from their study under Jasha Heitetz, as great a player as he was. This made it almost impossible for them to perform in public for many years after.
On the other hand, a great number of players would also say they benefited tremendously from their time with that great master.
What is vital is that there be a psychic, emotional, or intellectual bridge between player and teacher – the magic happens when all three are present – that allows for the transference of INSIGHT.
If you’re not acquiring actual insight from your lesson time you’re doing yourself a great disservice.
What I am communicating through my DVD courses are the insights I have into playing the violin. They are, in fact, the essence of my passion. If some measure of it strikes a chord and becomes ‘in-sight’ when viewed by you then I have served you well.
I certainly hope this is the case.
One last point, another subscriber kind of took me to task for an email I sent some time back. In that newsletter I had given a little musical advice for repetitive passages in Bach. He felt there was so much more to be said it was almost trivial to say anything.
The point is well taken to some extent. It is rather presumptuous to take on the musical fine points of Bach in an email.
My real point, however, was just that one should not be too predictable in one’s playing, otherwise a listener looses interest, even in Bach.
A newsletter, however, is indeed a poor vehicle to communicate musical nuances. A much superior vehicle is the masterclass. There are a few seats still available for mine in January. I urge you to come, be a part, and feel the magic.
Insights will abound.
All the best,
Clayton Haslop
P.S. This morning I finished the taping on my first repertoire course; Bach E Major ‘Preludio’ and Kreisler ‘Preludium and Allegro’. These are great pieces to study after getting through Vol. 1 of the Kreutzer course. Come early next week I’ll have a great pre-publication offer for you to take advantage of. In the meantime get yourself into volume 2 of the Kreutzer series now.
