January 13, 2025: Tuesday Upbeat
Teachers: Happy Tuesday!
Helping Students Gain Real Confidence
We help students gain confidence as musicians in their musical abilities by helping them gain confidence as people in their daily lives and interactions.
A general, overriding strategy we strive to use in our music studio to help students accomplish the goals of developing confidence and a can-do attitude involves speaking directly to students, and listening to students. To the extent possible, we strive to avoid making parents the “middle men” in communications with children and youth. We communicate directly with students.
We don’t tell parents to tell their students things we want them to know or do. We tell the students directly.
We encourage students to tell us things, rather than ask their parents to tell us things for them. We listen carefully to students.
We look students into the eyes when we speak to them. We avoid talking about them in front of others, as if they are not present.
We help students set their own meaningful goals so that others don’t feel compelled to try to set goals for them.
Confidence grows when students feel ownership of their learning, so as teachers we begin by inviting their voices into their lessons. Discussions including and better yet led by the student help set a tone of agency and respect. When children can choose where to start, name what felt better this week, pick between options, set goals, and assess their own progress, they begin to see themselves at least as partners in the process, and even better responsible for their outcomes.
“Choice does not replace pedagogy; it strengthens it, because a student who chooses is a student who leans in.”
Confidence also grows from knowing how to work when no one is watching. In lessons we model the practice routine so students can repeat it at home, of their own accord, driven by their own goals, desires, and energy.
Parents are essential partners, too, but most helpfully when they support and protect student voices. We encourage children to speak up for themselves. We encourage students to take pride in effort they can control. We succeed brilliantly when parents are proud of their children for taking charge of themselves and accomplishing things they set out to do, not just because they were told to do so, but because they wanted to.
The way we engage our students as fully capable, whole, mature, intelligent, respectable, autonomous beings with real agency builds real confidence, and it grows and lasts in music, in school, and in life.
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Have a magical Tuesday, a musical week, and enjoy happy, healthy and tension-free teaching and learning with your students.
Thank you,
Dennis Frayne
"Dr. Dennis"
Laguna Niguel School of Music
Dennis Frayne Music Studios
30110 Crown Valley Pkwy, Suites 105/107/108
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 844-9051 (office cell)
(949) 468-8040 (personal cell)
www.lagunaniguelschoolofmusic.com
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