Pedagogy is a "buzz word" that gets tossed around and used liberally between music teachers, music educators, and institutions of music. Everyone claims to have a pedagogy, to use pedagogy, or to be an expert in pedagogy. There are even degrees for musicians seeking to better themselves as educators. Yes, I happen to have degrees in performance and pedagogy. But what does this really mean? And what does this mean for my child taking music lessons?

Let me first give a basic definition of pedagogy. As I can remember from college, pedagogy is really the study of educating children. The etymology of the word is fascinating; in the greek it means 'to lead a child.' In Ancient Greece, a slave was put in trust of educating the young male children. The slave was responsible for taking the young child to school and to gym. The Latin derivation of the word, however, means 'education' or 'good learning styles.' In the context of being a degree-seeking musician, we apply the terms to mean something along the lines of 'developing quality education for pre-college students of music.' What about adults? Well, there is a term for the study of educating adults -- andragogy. I remember having one conversation about andragogy in graduate school, but musicians apply the term pedagogy to the study of educating any student -- whether child or adult. You may be interested in reading further about pedagogy on such websites as The Piano Education Page and The Piano Pedagogy Forum.

So what does this have to do with teaching music? In this particular post, I was to focus on the pedagogy of Prairie Music Academy on a large scale. Prairie Music Academy offers private lesson instruction, group classes, and a combination of both. How does this make for interesting pedagogy? Students learn on a variety of different levels. One-on-one instruction provides the student with unique interaction with a music specialist. The music teacher creates a plan, or curriculum, suited to the needs of the student. I'm sure many of us are aware of the fact that every student is different. Some students need a strong technical plan, or series of warm-ups, to help them learn to play their pieces more effectively. Other children simply need a diet of pieces that sound impressive, thus inspiring them to practice more frequently. What pedagogy provides, applied by the music teacher, is a plan of education specific to each student for their maximum development as a musician.

At times, practicing and learning pieces can be an isolating activity. Interaction with the rest of the musical world is often left to the band and choir directors at our schools. Prairie Music Academy believes students are inspired and challenged best by having musical experiences with their peers. You will notice a series of group classes on our calendar for the private-lesson student. We intentionally change three or more private lessons a year in favor of bringing musicians together to learn and perform with one another. How is pedagogy applied here? I look at it as being a large piece of the 'quality education' pie. First, it is important for musicians to listen and watch multiple performances. Observing technique, performance styles, and simply absorbing more repertoire aurally gives the student many new perspectives. Second, it is important for students to make critical observations on their individual performance and the performances of other students. Parents are often concerned about peer pressure and negative feedback in situations like this, but Prairie Music Academy is intentional about teaching proper critique. Our instructors arm the students with the ability to discuss dynamics, technique, and quality of performance in a positive, friendly manner. Third, our group classes give the students practical skills applicable to daily life. Learning to think critically, dialogue positively, and analyze a musical performace thoughtfully can only have a favorable impact on studies at school and on the job later in life.

Finally, the last portion of the Prairie Music Academy pedagogy has to do with our involvement and interaction within the community. We do not want to become the music lesson shop that simply brings students in and out of our school and keep the performances within. Music is meant to be shared and enjoyed by the greater community. Think of how often music is a daily part of your life; music penetrates your thoughts while you shop at the grocery or department store. You probably drive to and from work and your child's activities with your favorite radio station pumping tunes through your car. And we certainly cannot escape the power music has over us during holiday seasons like Christmas! We pride in being able to bring music to Sun Prairie, Madison, and through Dane County. Events like the Fall Festival, the Barn Dance, the Spring Variety Show, and our Faculty/Alumni recitals are not just for showcasing the amazing talents prevalent at our school. They are for keeping music -- the feelings, the emotions, and the joy it brings -- alive in our culture. As Ipods and digital radio provide us with the convenience and instant gratification of music, it's the performances and the person-to-person shared responses of music we need to share with our family and friends.

So that is really what pedagogy means to Prairie Music Academy -- being able to educate, share, and revel in the beauty of music in a variety of ways!

Julie Baskinger