I've just heard that when I go back to one of my schools next week they've got three new pupils for me, all Year 7. Two of them are complete beginners and the other one is about Grade 3 level. I've got to teach them all together. Any suggestions? Oh and I've already thought of employing the Grade 3er as an assistant teacher but don't somehow think it'd go down too well with his parents.

Violinia

-

That does seem tough . I guess my situation is not as bad. I will be teaching two groups where there will be one pupil a grade higher that his/her other group-mates e.g. whilst the majority will be preparing for grade 1, the single student will be preparing for grade 2.

This is the thing about a group; not to isolate pupils so that they feel left out from the whole group teaching experience, making music together. Perhaps with the piano it is easier since there isn't the issue of internation, but as with all instruments POSTURE, as with NOTE PRODUCTION, just to name two examples are aspects of playing that have to be watched as not to develop bad habits.

I will try to get the 'advanced' pupil in the group to help, but in what aspects, I'm seriously going to need to consider.

Thanks for the responses..

Actually I'm a bit cross about it as it's a purely financial decision; ie they can't afford to give me two extra lessons - just the one.

Dilemma: I teach one Grade 3 standard girl on her own; she needs to be on her own because she becomes monstrous in a group but is fine on her own. My predecessor put her into a single lesson for that reason. Perhaps I should risk it and out the Grade 3er in with her and see how it goes. He's a boy and quite ambitious so perhaps he'll be able to cope with her.

I really think 2 total beginners will slow this boy down too much and it's a bit mad to expect me to have to do this.

What will she do when she sees a stranger's name on the timetable next to her!?!

On second thoughts I think I'll try them all out together first and then talk to her about sharing her lesson. Thanks for listening.

Violinia

Hey, here's a thought - could you not reorganise the rota and just give him a shorter individual lesson? I have just started back teaching with a new bunch, and some people are on their own (due to numbers) but only signed up for a shared lesson - so I have this odd half slot with one kid - on the proviso that when another shared person appears, they'll join on and get the full session...

It's an idea anyway...

M

Violinia, I agree with Ethnomusicologist that it's quite tricky. Not an ideal situation at all. It doesn't seem fair, either, to put a grade 3 pupil in with two beginners.

My inclination would be to try to get the two grade threes together. Maybe if your difficult girl could feel that she has an important job to do in helping the new boy get used to lessons at school she would respond (then again maybe not - I don't know her!!)

I think I would keep the arrangement as flexible as possible for the first few weeks, and as far as you can in the school environment try a variety of solutions. Hopefully you will hit on something that works! Good luck.

Maggie

Thanks all; yes I've decided to try one lesson with the three together (I don't want to shock the wild girl on her first lesson of the year!), and then timetable the ambitious boy in with her, having had a "little chat" with her about behaviour/attitude during her lesson next week.

Thanks again

Violinia

How will the parents of the "wild" girl feel? Won't they be expecting an individual lesson for her? This can be difficult - I have started a couple on individual lessons on the proviso that I would put them in a group when someone suitable came up, and then when they did the parents weren't at all happy and I had to keep them as individual.

This issue of grouping for lessons must surely depend a lot on how much time you are given to cover the lessons. In my case a lot of the group lessons are expected to be of 20mins duration - if you want to see pupils individually you can end up scheduling 10min lessons!! - or teaching extra time for free, which in the long term isn't a good idea as this will impact on your salary and on the expectations of schools in the future.
I feel that you should timetable your lessons as effectively as you can but make sure that the school know that your prefernce would be for more time/some individual lessons etc.
I don't think that parents can complain about shared lessons if this is school policy - they should be grateful for some individual teaching at all.

I used to have my flute lessons (when I was having them in school) with a girls working towrds her grade 5 flute, while I was about grade 2/3 level, and we managed ok. It was certainly a lot better than my first gruop lessons where I was with two clarinettists (one beginner, one perhaps grade 3-ish) one saxophonist (beginner) and me (beginner flute).

I thought that might just reassuer you Violina~ some Peri's have it far worse!

Yiles Tamsin! Yes I know I don't have it too bad at all in this particular school. I've got a lovely spacious room to teach in and 5 of the half hour lessons (out of a total of the 9 lessons of the day) are individual. There are very good reasons for the other 4 lessons to be individual; one of them is with a child with Aspergers syndrome, one of the others has dyslexia, one is a viola player and the other is very advanced. The wild girl is the only one I could even think of putting this boy with.

The idea of 10 minute lessons makes my hair curl; it can take that length of time to get the violin out, tune it and put it away at the end of the lesson! 10 minute lessons may be more viable in the case of piano when you don't have all that faffing around, but for heavens' sake... I've taken to giving not a few 40 minute and 1 hour lessons with some of my home pupils because by a certain age there's only so much you can convey in half an hour..

Anyway, I'll let you know what happens - it's on Friday. Actually I'm REALLY looking forward to going back there; it's only my third term there and I LOVE teaching there. The kids are great and it'll be lovely to see them all again after so long and work on new material etc etc. I'm a little nervous about teaching two complete beginners together (never taught a complete beginner in a school before let alone 2 at once), but looking forward to it too, wondering what they'll be like, and deciding on what methods to use etc etc.

Wayhay!

Violinia

Beginners in pairs works very well.That's how we do it. It takes the pressure of the kids and makes it all seem more fun. All our lessons are 30 mins long which is too long for an individual beginner I have found, well depending on the age. My youngest pair this year are 4 and 5 which I'm really excited about. As for begginer material I'd suggest Superstart by Mary Cohen if the kids are aged 7 to about 10. Once the 1st and 2nd fingers have been introduced I use Waggon Wheels too.
I agree with putting the "wild girl" together with the other Gr3 student. It couldn't work with him sharing with complete beginners. How old is the girl? She might calm down if she wants to impress the boy!!
Let us know how it goes...

Thanks for the advice, fiddlingfee, and I think you're right about 2 beginners being optimal. I've had one group of 3 beginners in that school and it's been really hard as one of them was really disruptive. Fortunately she's now given up so I just have the two of them in that lesson.

I'm going to start the 3 new ones in together and then swop it round the week after. They're all very into their routines and the wild girl would go totally wild if she saw her name on the timetable along with a complete stranger Year 7 BOY!!!

Wild girl is no w Year 8, very pretty, but has hated boys so far and tends to bully them if she gets the chance. She's got to become pro-boys at some point, one presumes, and it may well be this year when she turns 13, but it's doubtful she'll be pro a Year 7 boy unless he's really cool. I really will need to talk her round.

Thanks again

Violinia