Self-sufficient: David Finckel, right.
Everyone seems to agree that a good teacher is one who can help students to teach themselves. This is much easier said than done, both on the part of the student and the teacher. I come from a family of do-it-yourselfers, so I’ll recommend developing the following habits on your way to greater self-sufficiency. DRIVEN CURIOSITY
Mstislav Rostropovich once said, “Your luckiest moment is when you discover something that you can’t do yet. ”The habit of absolutely having to figure out how to do something is essential to mastering any skill or craft. Respect the material at hand and you will be compelled to do it justice. Hang around with friends who are naturally curious—their excitement is contagious. Find anything that you are naturally curious about and try looking at music in the same way.
IMPATIENCE
Typical self-teachers want to get work done sooner rather than waiting around for someone to tell them what to do. Try simulating a lesson to evaluate your own performance. Think, “What would my teacher, or so-and-so whom I respect enormously, suggest?” Take frequent looks at your calendar, your watch, and at all the wonderful things there are to do in life besides sitting inside and practicing. That will help you get things moving.
PERSPECTIVE
Performers need to gain perspective on their art, themselves, and the world around them. This perspective is what older, more experienced teachers have come to possess. In a certain way, we are always making up for lost time, looking for greater perspective. Foster a deeper perspective by going to concerts, master classes, and even your friends’ lessons. Listen to recordings, study scores, watch music videos, and read about composers’ lives. Get to know other works by the composers whose pieces you are studying. Ask for feedback and hang out with people who know more than you do.
‘Assimilate what you like and work on ridding yourself of habits and tendencies that are holding you (and others) back.’
POWERS OF OBSERVATION, ANALYSIS, COMPARISON, AND IMITATION
These four points are our most important assets. Learn from observing the strengths and weaknesses of others. Figure out what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. Observe yourself. Analyze the differences. Assimilate what you like and work on ridding yourself of habits and tendencies that are holding you (and others) back. Technology is an essential tool. Record and videotape yourself; try to make your playing sound better. Seek out observations from trusted friends and colleagues. Compare your performance, bit by bit, to your ideals.
Acquiring the above habits is a worthwhile project. They form a basis upon which to acquire skill. So, why not start now? There are no musicians too young to learn to teach themselves. David Finckel is the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet cellist. He is also a featured soloist and a mentor at master classes. Along with his wife, pianist Wu Han, he serves as artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Music@Menlo, a chamber-music festival and educational institute that he and Han founded in 2003. |
