Posted by Ellen on May 09, 1999 at 06:25:27:
In Reply to: Let's help Theo posted by DS on May 09, 1999 at 02:15:15:
So much depends on the teacher and the sequence in
which material and technique is presented. My guess
is were you to interview a good cross-section of
students here and look at the progression of books
used and skills taught, it would not follow the same
pattern. Some stress more left hand than right. Some
introduce pieces in a sequence that another teacher
would never dream of. Some introduce thumb position
years earlier than others.
The student entrusts his development to the judgment
of a teacher and generally has little basis to know
whether the instruction he is getting is "good" or not.
Then there's the matter of students grasping concepts
at different rates, or being able to understand what
the teacher thinks they are getting across. It is a
complicated process.
I can't help but wonder if perhaps Theo just didn't
have a teacher that "clicked" with him. I can't
recall seeing posts from anyone more anxious to
straighten out his cellistic problems, and also
concerned about his own talents when measured against
others.
It is nice to say "play for enjoyment" as an adult,
but if you are a student competing for places in
orchestras or camps requiring auditions, it's not strictly
an enjoyment issue. It IS how you play compared to
the others.
I often wonder, were I to teach the cello to someone,
where I would start and what the best progression
would be to turn out the best little cellist possible.
I remain clueless, because every piece I pick up
involves a need to work on so many skills at the same
time. Keeping in mind you don't want to frustrate
OR bore the student.