When stage fright frightening ... the institutions and teachers

When stage fright frightening ... the institutions and teachers

This article is written by Maurice Weintraub where we talk about when stage fright frightening ... the institutions and teachers

One day a student of mine told me this scene pianist.

- I gave my exam 4th year piano at the conservatory. I was not bad but I got nervous and trembled enough. When I got my teacher's note said "Not bad, but you have to solve your issue with stage fright. Years ago the same thing happens to you and prevent you from beginning to grow. "

I've heard this scene no less than 20 times, with different nuances

And it's strange, why not hard to believe that the institutions responsible for training musicians at the highest level in our country will award students the task of solving a problem that has to do with the musical training of students.

It's like a teacher who never taught, for example, the technique of the left hand to tell his students just pay their exam "You have to solve your problems with your left hand. For years your left hand has no technique. "

Is it not the task of the teacher to teach this technique?

Is it not the task of the teacher and the conservatory deal with everything that has to do with the musical growth of their students and provide tools so that students can grow musically? Again, make tools. Then the student will see if they can, or want to know how to take them. But given the tools is not the task of the teacher and the institution?

It could be argued that stage fright is not a musical but emotional or psychological issue, which belongs to the student and that has nothing to do with music.

I ask. Who argues that investigated how about this problem? How much time and energy devoted to internalize, find, further on this subject?

The institution and the teacher

There are two reasons why the institutions and teachers have an obligation to help students transform their fear fear:

On the one hand, for stage fright in musicians is a musical / psychological problems and in this sense the institutions must undertake as regards the musical of the same way we should be responsible for providing tools for harmony, counterpoint, instrument technique, music history and all matters having to do with the specifically musical growth of the student.

At least they should be responsible for providing these tools; although it would be good to also provide a tool of emotional or psychological nature in the same way tools of philosophy, aesthetics, educational and others are provided.

On the other hand (and perhaps this is the most important) because it takes just hearing the stories of a few musicians who experience stage fright to understand that much of this fear was acquired or significantly increased just inside the musical institutions and / or the link with instrument teachers. So, this fear was generated and increasing due to the hyper-demand, abuse, non-musical goals setting programs ignorant study of personal processes, neglect of self-expression of the student and many other musical and relational items that the student has I went traveling during their training at the school.

Thus, the conservatory (or teacher) not only did not fulfill its role of helping their students to transform a problem that afflicts but deepens the problems should help transform. This sad reality. And angry.

Student

Of course, students in music (I think of my time as a student myself included) have a lot to look at this.

When I asked what my student had told his teacher when he told her he had to "fix your issue with stage fright," she said "And I said nothing. I think he's right. "

It is that she (my student) also understands that, if it takes 4 years class with a teacher who could not give any tool to transform your fear, this teacher has responsibility for her trembling exam.