Replaceable vs. Dispensable

Replaceable and Dispensable. These two terms when applied as adjectives to a teacher could easily be interpreted to mean that the teacher is easily replaced by another or that music is not important so music instruction can be dispensed with.

I do believe that a teacher should be irreplaceable, but in a way dispensable. First of all, the reasons should be obvious about being irreplaceable. We want to be good teachers so that our students won't want to find another teacher. We should seek to pursue excellence in teaching and a good teacher/student relationships. A good relationship goes a long way to keeping a student.

On the other hand, one of our long term goals for any student should be that they don't need us anymore. Hence, the reason we should be dispensable. It is important that we teach them how to practice and go about learning a piece so that they don't need us anymore. Being able to get a student to that level of independence, is the sign of a good teacher.

Sight Reading....

As I prepare my students for OMTA's spring syllabus, I want to test my students' sight reading so they are prepared for their syllabus evaluation. (For more on what OMTA's syllabus is, click here.) For the next few weeks, I will be working them through a sight reading book.

For beginning to intermediate students, it can be hard to find pieces that are easy enough for them to sight read that they haven't already learned. That is why I think a variety of sight reading books is an important asset to a teacher's library. It makes my job easier if I don't have to go searching through repertoire books looking for pieces that can be sight read. More advanced students can either play through an upper level sight reading book or an early grade repertoire book.