Instrumental Education Program

By Kristian Del Cantero (BA 3)

Submitted to Marion Schaap

Tuesday June 11, 2019

Conservatorium van Amsterdam
 Table of Contents

Part 1 - General Ideas about teaching 2

Part 2- Methodology Part 6

Part 3- Report of the Observed Lessons 25

Part 4- Report of the Taught Lessons 29

1
 Part 1 - General Ideas about teaching

Teaching is a means of educating. In Latin- ‘educare’ or ‘educere’- meaning to ‘lead out’

is an important aspect on my current thoughts on teaching. I believe teachers should be
aware of this characteristic inherent in all humans- rather than a teacher “drilling in” the
“right way to play” they should focus more on bringing out a student’s own thoughts on
music. Of course, this is just one aspect of teaching, it is still essential to lead by
example and give a student the highest quality of artistic and musical example.
Seymour Bernstein, a New York based pedagogue, composer, and performer, has a
beautiful approach to teaching. He states, “The most important thing that music
teachers can do with their pupils is to inspire and encourage an emotional response, not
just for music, but more importantly for all aspects of life.” This approach rings so true
for all humans, and I believe it is a necessary ideal that all music teachers should aspire
To.

Apart from this model, I believe it is important for teachers to demonstrate interpretive
attitudes of the highest quality. An aim I try to take when I give advice is so that the
student thinks “That’s perfect- I was about to do the same thing!” It can be seen as
holding up a mirror to the student’s thoughts so they can see them and realize them
more clearly and healthily.

I believe it essential for a student to have clear and concrete goals in their music-
making. I think it is a good idea for the teacher and student to come to a consensus
about specific goals and how they will go about obtaining them in a collaborative
manner. Some questions you can address with the student in a lesson:
-What is a reasonable amount of time I can practice daily on my instrument?
-How long have I been playing, and what is a realistic rate of progress I can adhere to?
-How will I organize my practice time? (e.g. warm-up, technical exercises, etudes,
repertoire, improvisation, etc.)
-To what degree of devotion will I make towards becoming a complete musician? (e.g.
as a hobby, amateur, conservatory student, ‘what is my aim?’
Once these questions are addressed, it will be much easier for the teacher and student
to come up with a vivid and realistic guideline of how to use time in an efficient, healthy,
and fun way. It is also important not to become too ‘strict’, as it can turn off the student
from the beauty of the instrument.

It is important for a teacher to come up with a clear method of teaching so that the
student can relate to you through each week. In general, I teach very practically; I like to
demonstrate the different aspects of music making and how to fine-tune each one. The

2
different aspects I usually go over in lessons are:
-Warming-up (why is it necessary?)
-Technical practice (differentiating between repertoire practice)
-Practicing your Repertoire
-Performing practice
Additional aspects that are not as common, but sometimes applicable to certain
students of a higher level are:
-Improvising
-Preparing for a Concert or Competition (and the difference between the two)
If a student asks, I am always open to talking also about career development as a
musician and important things in that realm (e.g. making connections, being
professional, the importance of social media, becoming creative, etc.)
Having a set of didactic methods to use in your lessons is a great tool. Below you will
find some of the different didactic methods I use in my teaching:
Encouragement: when a student plays well or demonstrates good thinking, it is
important to provide words of encouragement. This will help the student realize what
they are doing is good and they should continue. It is important to note that for different
ages it is essential to use the appropriate language so the student doesn’t feel like they
are being ‘talked down’ to.

Constructive Criticism: If a student’s playing needs improvement in a certain spot, it

important to not harshly criticize them. Finding ways to address the problem from a
constructive viewpoint will help the student to learn, and also keep the respect and
focus in a lesson.

Mirroring: This aspect I have learned in the past few weeks with Gabriel Bianco. The
idea is for the teacher to demonstrate a very well executed passage, both musical and
technically-sound, and then asking the student to try to reproduce what you just played.
The idea behind this is that the student will in a sense, “learn to think” the way he/she
needs to think to establish the highest quality of musical sound.

Conducting: Using your voice and body to ‘guide’ your student through a piece. It is
important for the teacher to be clear in what they say, as it is hard for a student to focus
on playing and listening to the teacher at the same time. This can be really helpful for
the student to become a more independent thinker.

Small passages: asking the student to keep repeating a small passage of music until it
is perfect, and giving feedback after each passage. Not in a militant way, but this helps
to communicate to the student what kind of quality is needed to progress.

3
My thoughts on the way a music lesson is organized have changed over the past few
months. After studying with David Leisner, I tried to implement an important way of
providing information: from a ‘technical’ perspective (how to use the body in the best
way possible to execute the music with no tension and ease-of-access), and from a
‘musical’ perspective (talking in detail about musical ideas, from an individual
perspective
and a historically informed perspective). David Leisner believes that it is very hard for
the human brain to focus on the two at the same time, he believes it is important to
focus very intensely on one idea at a time, and then incorporate them all together in the
end (in a sense, the end result of this is a performance). Another important thing:
Technical proficiency should only serve as a means to higher musicality. This is
something I have been thinking about. Technique on its own is not so exciting, it needs
to have some sort of purpose, and that purpose is art and music!

With this in mind, I organize my lessons quite simply:

First Part: Warming-up- Doing some warm up techniques so the student is able to
perform well.
Second Part: Repertoire- This is the bulk of the lesson. Going over music the student is
working on, addressing problems with the didactic methods seen above, and always
positively enforcing the student.
Third Part: Lesson summary and work for next lesson- Going over what was talked
about in the lesson, how to practice those certain things, and giving clear extremely
clear guidelines on what to work on in the next week.
In general, it is also important for the teacher to maintain an atmosphere of safety, good
work-ethic, and positivity.

After the lesson is done, it is very important to ‘evaluate’ your lesson. I think it is vital to
not evaluate the lesson right after it is finished, because time can be a good tool to look
at something realistically and not get mixed up with emotions.
Some questions to ask to evaluate your lesson:
-What were my strengths in teaching the student?
-Where did I fall short? How can I improve?

-Was I awake, alert, and attentive to the student?

-Was the student prepared? Is he/she progressing weekly?
-Is the structure of my lesson working well for the student? Is there anything I can
change in the lesson to better suit the needs of the student?
-With all this in mind, what concrete goals can I make for myself so I teach a better

4
lesson for the student than last week?
These questions will help a teacher to really progress as well in their career of music
teaching.
It is very useful to constantly think about your own views on teaching. It is the only way
to progress in your quality of pedagogy, and I find it an essential process that needs to
be gone through quite regularly. Looking at your music teaching on different levels (e.g.
practically, financially, philosophically, etc.) will help you to keep your passion for
teaching going, and most importantly, for the student to discover their interest in passion
in music.

5
 Part 2- Methodology Part

Below is a list of guitar methods that I have used for myself and for my students.
Followed is a complete repertoire list from beginner student to advanced, followed by a
musical and technical analysis of a piece of music that could be used in a lesson.

Guitar Methods

Abel Carlevaro
-School of Guitar: Exposition of Instrumental Theory (1984)

Matteo Carcassi
-Method for the Guitar (1896)
-Melodic and Progressive Etudes, Op. 60

Louisa Kirkman
-Improved method for the Guitar (acquired 1877)

Johann Kaspar Mertz

-Major and Minor Scales

Daniel Nistico
-12 Practice Methods for Guitarists

Aaron Shearer
-Learning the Classic Guitar - Part 1 (1990)
-Learning the Classic Guitar - Part 2 (1990)
-Learning the Classic Guitar - Part 3 (1991)
-Slur, Ornament, and Reach Development Exercises - Supplement 1 (1960)
-Basic Elements of Music Theory for the Guitar - Supplement 2 (1965)
-Scale Pattern Studies for Guitar - Supplement 3 (1965)
-Classic Guitar Technique - Volume I (1963)
-Classic Guitar Technique - Volume II (1969

Fernando Sor
- Méthode pour la Guitare (1820)

Scott Tennant
-Pumping Nylon (1995)

6
Thomas Viloteau
-In the Black Box: Technique of the Classical Guitar (2017)

Repertoire List
1. Beginner

Shearer, Aaron
Etude in A Minor (no. 6)
Prelude in E Minor (no. 10)

Beauvais, William
Guitar Pastels: Dance 1

Carcassi, Matteo
Andantino in C Major

Carulli, Ferdinando
Grand recueil progressif, op. 246:Poco allegretto

Diabelli, Anton
30 sehr leichte Übungsstücke für Guitare, op. 39:Andantino (no. 2)

Tansman, Alexandre
Promenade (no. 1)

McFadden, Jeffrey
Lemon Ice
Midnight in Sevilla

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Bourrée II BWV 1010 (arr. Jeffrey McFadden)

Dowland, John
Orlando Sleepeth

Sanz, Gaspar
Españoleta

7
Beethoven, Ludwig van
Ode to Joy (arr. Richard Summers)

Gagnon, Claude
Adagio (no. 5)

Mertz, Johann Kaspar

Romanze (no. 9)

York, Andrew
Eight Discernments

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Menuet III BWV 822 (arr. Norbert Kraft)

Handel, George Frideric

Prelude in C Major, from Sonata in C Major (“For a Musical Clock”), HWV 598 (arr.
Norbert Kraft)

Giuliani, Mauro
The Butterfly

Paganini, Nicolò
Menuet, from Sonata No. 26

Gagnon, Claude
Les blues des grenouilles

York, Andrew
Sherry’s Waltz

Aguado, Dionisio
Lesson 15 (Waltz)

Brouwer, Leo
Estudios sencillos one of nos. 1, 2, 4

8
Tárrega, Francisco
Study in C Major

2. Intermediate

Dowland, John
Lady Laiton’s Almain
Mrs. Winter’s Jump
Awake, Sweet Love (no. 19)

Losy, Jan Antonín

Aria
Sarabande

Aguado, Dionisio
Waltz (no. 3)

Giuliani, Mauro
Divertimento (no. 11)

Schumann, Robert
Soldatenmarsch (no. 2) (arr. Norbert Kraft)

Sor, Fernando
Waltz (no. 2) Six Divertimentos

Dyens, Roland
Sunset Impressions

Koshkin, Nikita
Elephant

Tárrega, Francisco
Lágrima
Prelude

Beauvais, William
Perpetuum mobile

9
Brouwer, Leo
Estudios sencillos one of nos. 5, 8, 14

Pujol, Emilio
Study No. 1

Dowland, John
My Lord Willoughby’s Welcome Home (arr. Jeffrey McFadden)

Petzold, Christian
Menuet

Weiss, Silvius Leopold

Sonata No. 19 in F Major: Menuet

Coste, Napoléon
La chasse (no. 9)

Barrios, Agustín
Minueto en do

Bartók, Béla
Jatek (no. 5, arr. Jeffrey McFadden)

Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Mario
Appunti, op. 210, Tempo di siciliana (no. 1)

Gagnon, Claude
Prélude No. 3

Pujol, Máximo Diego

Suites del plata 1st movement: Preludio

Brouwer, Leo
Estudios sencillos Estudio No. 3

Coste, Napoléon
Étude (no. 10)

10
Bach, Johann Sebastian
BWV 996 Bourrée

Dowland, John
Air and Galliard

Handel, George Frideric

Gavotte (arr. John Mills)

Milán, Luis
Pavane I
Pavane III
Pavane V

Legnani, Luigi
Caprice (no. 4)

Tárrega, Francisco
Adelita (Mazurka)
Prelude in G Major
Prelude in E Major

Beauvais, William
Walking Song
Chicago Style Blues

Bogdanović, Dušan
Secret No. 3 and Secret No. 7

Domeniconi, Carlo
Gelosia

Duarte, John W.
Waltz No. 2

Ponce, Manuel
Prelude No. 5 and Prelude No. 11

11
Poulenc, Francis
Sarabande pour guitare

Brouwer, Leo
Estudios sencillos Estudio No. 6, 7, 11, 13

Gagnon, Claude
Prélude No. 7

Tárrega, Francisco
Prelude in A Major

Dowland, John
My Lady Hunsdon’s Allemande

Mudarra, Alonso
Fantasía 1

Narváez, Luys
Canción del Emperador (arr. Jeffrey McFadden)

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Prelude BWV 999 Partita for Solo Violin No. 1
Menuet I and Menuet II BWV 1009 (arr. Jeffrey McFadden)

Kellner, David
Campanella
Gigue

Sanz, Gaspar
Canarios

Weiss, Silvius Leopold

Aria from Sonata No. 13 in D Minor

Legnani, Luigi
Caprice (no. 28)

12
Mussorgsky, Modest
The Old Castle (arr. John Mills)

Tárrega, Francisco
Pavana
Vals en re

Brouwer, Leo
Un dia de novembre
Guajira criolla

Lauro, Antonio
Vals venezolano No. 1

Martin, Frank
Quatre pièces brèves: Air

Satie, Eric
Gymnopédie No. 1

Villa-Lobos, Heitor
Prélude No. 3
Mazurka-choro

Walton, William
Bagatelle No. 2

Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Mario
Appunti, op. 210

Garcia, Gerald
Etude 21
Etude 22

Hand, Frederic
Study No. 1

13
Presti, Ida
Étude No. 3
3. Advanced

Dowland, John
Can She Excuse
The Frog Galliard
Melancholy Galliard
Queene Elizabeth, Her Galliard

Milán, Luis
Fantasia del quarto tono
Fantasia No. 10

Sweelinck, Jan Pieterszoon

Fantasia (in Europäische Gitarren- und Lautenmusik, 6 RIC)

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1, BWV 1001
Siciliana Sonata for Solo Violin No. 2, BWV 1003
Andante Suite for Lute, BWV 996
Allemande BWV 997
Minuet I and Minuet II Suite for Solo Cello No. 1, BWV 1007 (arr. Jeffrey McFadden)
Prelude Suite for Solo Cello No. 3, BWV 1009 (arr. Jeffrey McFadden)

Scarlatti, Domenico
Sonata in A Major, K 208 (arr. Jeffrey McFadden)

Weiss, Silvius Leopold

Suite in D Major

Chopin, Frédéric
Mazurka, op. 24, no. 1 (arr. Stephen Aron)

Diabelli, Anton
Sonata in F Major: Andante sostenuto

14
Giuliani, Mauro
The Last Rose of Summer (no. 2)

Legnani, Luigi
Caprice (no. 2)

Paganini, Nicolò
Romance

Tárrega, Francisco
La alborada
Marieta (Mazurka)

Barrios, Agustín
Julia Florida (Barcarola)

Brouwer, Leo
Danza característica
Danza del altiplano

Debussy, Claude
The Little Shepherd (arr. Christopher Parkening)

Duarte, John W.
English Suite, op. 31

Merlin, José Luis

Suite del recuerdo

Ourkouzounov, Antanas
Allegro vivace

Villa-Lobos, Heitor
Prélude No. 1

Coste, Napoléon
Allegretto (no. 13)

15
Gnattali, Radamés
Study No. 1 (Presto possibile)
Toccata em ritmo de samba (no. 2)

Rodrigo, Joaquín
Tiento Antiguo

Villa-Lobos, Heitor
Étude No. 8

Albéniz, Mateo
Sonata

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Suite for Lute BWV 995: Allemande and Gigue

Dowland, John
Fantasia
Farewell Fantasia
Lachrimae

Diabelli, Anton
Sonata in C Major, op. 29, no. 1

Albéniz, Isaac
Tango
Granada

Barrios, Agustín
Waltz No. 3
Waltz No. 4

Malats, Joaquín
Serenata española

Tárrega, Francisco
Capricio árabe

16
Brouwer, Leo
Paisaje cubano con campanas

Dyens, Roland
Tango en skai

Tansman, Alexandre
Danza pomposa

Barrios, Agustín
Estudio No. 3

Garcia, Gerald
Etude 24

Regondi, Giulio
Study no. 5,7,8

Villa-Lobos, Heitor
12 études one of nos. 1, 4, 6, 10, 11

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro in E flat Major, BWV 998
Suite for Solo Cello No. 3, BWV 1009

Dowland, John
Earl of Essex, His Galliard

Sor, Fernando
Introduction et variations sur l’air “Malbroug,” op. 28

Albéniz, Isaac
Córdoba
Torre Bermeja
Zambra granadina
Capricho Catalan
Cadiz
Asturias

17
Barrios, Agustín
Una limosna por el amor de Dios

Ponce, Manuel
Sonata Clasica
Sonata Meridional

Berkeley, Lennox
Theme and Variations, op. 77

Brouwer, Leo
Canticum
Elogio de la danza

Dyens, Roland
Songe capricorne
Saudade No. 3

Martin, Frank
Quatre pièces brèves: Prélude and Gigue

Milhaud, Darius
Segoviana

Rodrigo, Joaquín
En los trigales
Junto al Generalife
Zapateado

Pujol, Emilio
Ondinas

Regondi, Giulio
Study no. 2 and no. 6

18
Bach, Johann Sebastian
Partita no. 2 in D minor BWV 1004

Coste, Napoléon
Le départ, op. 31

Giuliani, Mauro
Sonata eroica, op. 150

Mertz, Johann Kaspar

Elegy
Fantaisie hongroise
Tarantelle

Sor, Fernando
Grand solo, op. 14

Barrios, Agustín
Un sueño en la floresta

Granados, Enrique
Valses poéticos

Llobet, Miguel
Variaciones sobre un Tema de Sor

Ponce, Manuel
Sonata III
Rodrigo, Joaquín
Invocation et danse
Un tiempo fue Italica famosa

Britten, Benjamin
Nocturnal, op. 70

Brouwer, Leo
El decameron negro

19
Ginastera, Alberto
Sonata for Guitar, op. 47

José, Antonio
Sonata

Rawsthorne, Alan
Elegy

Takemitsu, Toru
Equinox
In the Woods

Tippett, Michael
The Blue Guitar

Ponce, Manuel
Concierto del sur

Rodrigo, Joaquín
Concierto de Aranjuez

20
 Musical and Technical Analysis Guide
Etude no. 1 (Leo Brouwer)
*music below

Questions to ask your student:

Where is the melody in this piece?
How many voices are there?
Is tirando or apuyando needed to perform this piece? (possibly both)
What musical vocabulary does the composer give? Are there different ways of
interpreting the information on the page?
Where is the loudest point in the piece? How about the softest point?

Are there arpeggiated patterns in the piece which repeat?

What are the hardest rhythms or technical difficulties in the piece?
Is there a clear structure in the piece? (think about AB,ABA, etc.)
Are the fretted hand fingerings self evident? Or will they need some work before one is
able to play them comfortably?

Learning an etude
I find it important to keep in mind the different stages of a piece’s development with a
student when planning what information to discuss. In the first lesson, I try to discuss
with the student the most obvious musical and technical topics, and also topics which
will prevent the student from developing bad habits.

Take for example Leo Brouwer’s etude no. 1. The melody in the bass is a very attractive
melody, which doesn’t take much time to attach to one’s mind. A good method for the
student to memorize the melody could be to sing it. Then the student is also thinking
musically about the piece, which is a great goal.

Once the student has found the melody, you could move on to the other notes. The
great thing about etude no. 1 is that apart from the melody, most of the accompanying
notes are on open strings, which will be easy for the student to find. An optional
exercise would be for the student to play the melody, and for the teacher to play the
accompanying notes. This creates a cooperative approach making music, and forces a
two-way stream of information, so that both the student is listening, and the teacher.

21
Lastly, once the student has played through the piece, it would be good to review the
different musical indications on the page (e.g. accents, tempo, dynamics) in case the
student missed some of the information.

The strategy discussed above in my estimation would take approximately 15 minutes

out of a lesson. After this, some other options to continue working on the piece are:

-Ask the student what their personal thoughts are on the music. Do they like it? What do
they like about it and vice versa?

-See if the student wants to record the piece. I find recording is a great way to pick up
on different parts of one’s playing that needs to be improved.

22
23
 Part 3- Report of the Observed Lessons

OBSERVATION REPORT / HOSPITEERVERSLAG

Methodiek CvA

Name student: CvA Guitarists

Name teacher: Lorenzo Micheli
Instrument: Guitar
Lesson date: 18 March 2019
Location: Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Number of hours/minutes 3 hours
observed:

-General info (type of lesson, age of pupil, what level etc)

-Organisation (music school, private practice, location, room etc)
-Describe the relationship between the pupil and teacher
-Which methods, repertoire are used?
-Learning content?
-Which teaching approach or strategies are applied?
-Verbal / non-verbal communication?
-How is the lesson structured?
-Any tips and tops / your impression?
On March 18th, the guitar students from Gabriel Bianco’s studio received a masterclass
from the Italian guitarist Lorenzo Micheli. The class was well received, and there was an
abundance of musical knowledge and passion that came from Lorenzo’s class.
The students that played were Tim Beattie (Canada), Myself, Paul Sessoms (USA),
Sara Rutten (Netherlands) and Krisna and Prawira Pijloo (Netherlands). All of the
students are in Bachelor level at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
The relationship between pupil and teacher was nonexistent before the masterclass
(unless students previously knew Lorenzo Micheli). This created an interesting
opportunity for Lorenzo to give an honest opinion of his thoughts in a clear way. I find
masterclasses to be really helpful in this regard, as the teacher (should be) able to
specifically give the student ways of improving without having known them personally .
In the class, Lorenzo gave much verbal and non-verbal communication. His advice was
very easy to follow, as when he talked he showed the students the ways he approaches
thinking about music, and how he would practice something. Non verbally, Lorenzo had

24
a very fine skill of singing along with the student player, or conducting and providing
clear ideas of what to do in the piece.
The lessons were structured in a typical masterclass setting.
My impression of Lorenzo’s class was very good. It made me appreciate even more his
contributions to the guitar world, and his passionate phrasing and clear articulations. I
hope to have another class with Lorenzo in the future. Afterwards, we were able to have
Lunch with the Maestro :)

OBSERVATION REPORT / HOSPITEERVERSLAG

Methodiek CvA

Name student: Valeria

Name teacher: Stella Zake
Instrument: Violin
Lesson date: 7 and 15 May 2019
Location: Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Number of hours/minutes two 1 hour lessons (2 hours total)
observed:

-General info (type of lesson, age of pupil, what level etc)

-Organisation (music school, private practice, location, room etc)
-Describe the relationship between the pupil and teacher
-Which methods, repertoire are used?
-Learning content?
-Which teaching approach or strategies are applied?
-Verbal / non-verbal communication?
-How is the lesson structured?
-Any tips and tops / your impression?

I observed 2 private lessons from Latvian violinist Stella Zake. Stella is completing her
master’s degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying with Ilya Grubert.
Stella was teaching a 13 year old violinist named Valeria. Valeria is from Costa Rica,
and she found Stella for private lessons through online advertising. Valeria is an
amateur violinist who plays for a hobby, however she is quite good. The lessons took
place at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

25
The Relationship between Stella and Valeria was normal. Valeria was a little bit shy, but
Stella was very good at balancing out the conversation. Stella is a very kind and
person, so she naturally is easy to listen to as a teacher.
Over the lessons, Stella went over some basic scales and etudes. The main bulk of the
technical part of the lessons were trying to listen more to the sound of the violin, and
therefore achieve a more desirable sound. After technique, Valeria played some
classical period pieces (which I cannot remember the name of). During this section, they
talked a lot about dynamics, musical gestures, and different fingerings and articulations
(bowings, etc.) One thing is noticed is that the technical side of violin playing appears to
be much more integrated into the musical side of violin playing.
Stella used many different teaching approaches. She was good at conducting Valeria
when there are tricky passages, and singing along in more melodious sections of the
music. Stella also was good at reminding Valeria of certain things to remember about
violin technique over the course of the lesson. Her communication was both verbal and
non-verbal.
OBSERVATION REPORT / HOSPITEERVERSLAG
Methodiek CvA

Name student: Bill

Name teacher: Tim Beattie
Instrument: guitar
Lesson date: April 19, June 1
Location: Conservatorium van Amsterdam
Number of hours/minutes two 1 hour lessons (2 hours total)
observed:

-General info (type of lesson, age of pupil, what level etc)

-Organisation (music school, private practice, location, room etc)
-Describe the relationship between the pupil and teacher
-Which methods, repertoire are used?
-Learning content?
-Which teaching approach or strategies are applied?
-Verbal / non-verbal communication?
-How is the lesson structured?
-Any tips and tops / your impression?

26
I observed 2 guitar lessons from my friend and fellow student, Tim Beattie. Tim’s
student was an older man named Bill. He is a retired violinist, and in his free time, likes
to play guitar. Bill is an amateur guitarist. Tim taught the lessons on the 5th floor at the
Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Tim teaches mainly from the Royal Conservatory of Music series. In addition, he also
provides some of his own recommendations for pieces and technique. For private
lessons with Bill, the music being played was around the grade 2 level. Bill also uses
the Shearer Method in his development as a guitarist.
The relationship between Bill and Tim was respectful and eager for communication. It is
great to see a student who really wants to learn a lot (It makes sense in this case, as Bill
is a retired violinist). Tim conducted himself in a professional manner, and did not talk
down to Bill, which in my opinion is important for teaching older students.
Over the 2 lessons, Bill played Scarborough Fair, and the Bourree II from the 4th cello
suite of J.S. Bach. Tim gave clear concise advice on approaching the technical
difficulties in the piece, and also talking about important topics like bass note lengths.
Tim was very good at using constructive criticism in a way which made Bill understand
what he had to improve. Most of Tim’s communication was verbal.
The lesson was structured in the usual format, warm-up, main repertoire of the lesson,
and review in the end. One thing worth noting is Tim’s ability to zone in on a problem
and talk about it without taking a large amount of time away from the main bulk of the
lesson. In this way, Tim is very time efficient.

27
 Part 4- Report of the Taught Lessons
TEACHING REPORT / STAGE VERSLAG
Methodiek CvA
Name pupil(s): Liam
Name student: Kristian Del Cantero
Instrument: Guitar
Lesson dates: July and August 2018
Location: Aspen, CO

You write a short report about the pupils you taught.

You describe
● how they started
● what they learned
● what didactic methods / repertoire / material you used
● how you organized the lessons
● your teaching style

Furthermore you reflect upon your teaching skills:

● What were your goals at the start of the teaching period?
● What did you learn about teaching?
● Which skills are already good, what do you need to improve?

Liam is 12 years old. He has been playing guitar for about 3 years, taking lessons from
teachers in the Aspen/Snowmass area. In our lessons, I talked about the importance of
practicing technique, and establishing a good knowledge and control of the guitar. With
Liam, we talked a lot about free stroke vs rest stroke, practicing one octave scales, and
basic arpeggios. Liam is starting to have a good sound of the guitar, the next step is to
start playing with nails.
The Aspen Music Festival and School has a guitar method called “Lead Guitar”, which
is used with most students. Some of the repertoire from this list was used, and also my
own repertoire from my background. Liam also liked to learn some rock songs on the
guitar. The lessons were organized in my usual format: warming up/ technique part,
repertoire, and summary of lesson.My goals at the start of the teaching period was to
give Liam as much information that would help him in the one month period that I was
teaching him so he could move forward with good knowledge to keep learning guitar. I
also tried to show him the beauty of the classical guitar repertoire. Of course, also to
show him the steps needed to form a good technique and musical understanding.

28
From Liam, I learned that it is really important to understand the learning process of the
student. Liam is a very smart kid, so in reality inaction was more important than action in
this case, as he was able to figure out problems by himself. In the case of these
lessons, I was there to guide him through his thoughts, in a way. Every student is very
different, so it is important to understand the learning style of each student.One thing I
would like to improve is my awareness of time in the lesson. Sometimes I go overtime,
which can be annoying to the parents sometimes.
TEACHING REPORT / STAGE VERSLAG
Methodiek CvA
Name pupil(s): Kyle
Name student: Kristian Del Cantero
Instrument: Guitar
Lesson dates: July and August 2018
Location: Aspen, CO

You write a short report about the pupils you taught.

● how they started
● what they learned
● what didactic methods / repertoire / material you used
● how you organized the lessons
● your teaching style

Furthermore you reflect upon your teaching skills:

● What were your goals at the start of the teaching period?
● What did you learn about teaching?
● Which skills are already good, what do you need to improve?

Kyle is 14 years old. He has been playing guitar for about 1 year, also taking lessons
from a local teacher in the Aspen/Snowmass area. Kyle really enjoys playing classic
rock music. During the time I taught him, he played with no nails. During our lessons,
my main goal with Kyle was to make him aware of the unnecessary tension in both his
right and left hand.
The Aspen Music Festival and School has a guitar method called “Lead Guitar”, which
is used with most students. Some of the repertoire from this list was used, and also my
own repertoire from my background. One method I use to make him aware of the
tension in his hands was to ask him to bounce his hands and feel how there is naturally
no tension in the hands, however it gets complicated when we want our hands to do
things (like play the guitar)! Once Kyle understood this concept, I then asked him to try

29
and play open strings and really think about not using unnecessary tension. After this, I
asked him to try to play a g major scale with the same feeling. At the first try, there was
no improvement, the second time, a little bit. After a while, he slowly progressed and
improved the tension in his hands slowly.
From Kyle, the biggest thing I learned was the importance of keeping lessons
interesting, and tailoring each lesson to the needs of the student. Kyle did not have the
best attention span, and it was very easy for him after 10 minutes to doze off and not
pay attention to what I was saying. After some thought, I found that an antidote to a
‘wandering’ student is to keep the questions you ask very interesting and hard to ignore.
An example; rather than asking “can you play this section and think more about the
dynamics”, it could be more useful to say ask, “where do you think the loudest part in
this section should be?” This sparks the student’s interest in the topic, and typically
ensures a longer attention time of the student.
TEACHING REPORT / STAGE VERSLAG
Methodiek CvA
Name pupil(s): Sarah
Name student: Kristian Del Cantero
Instrument: Guitar
Lesson dates: July and August 2018
Location: Aspen, CO

You write a short report about the pupils you taught.

You describe
● how they started
● what they learned
● what didactic methods / repertoire / material you used
● how you organized the lessons
● your teaching style

Furthermore you reflect upon your teaching skills:

● What were your goals at the start of the teaching period?
● What did you learn about teaching?
● Which skills are already good, what do you need to improve?
●
Sarah is 8 years old. Previous to my lessons with her, she had no formal guitar lessons.
However, she did learn the basics of musical vocabulary in school. Due to Sarah’s age,
we started learning without nails on her hand. We also started with some common
children’s tunes to learn, which helped her to stay interested in the music, yet still learn

30
the ideas behind guitar technique. The Aspen Music Festival and School has a guitar
method called “Lead Guitar”, which is used with most students. Some of the repertoire
from this list was used, and also my own repertoire from my background.
The way I organized lessons with Sarah was different from the way I usually organize
lessons. Instead of splitting up my time in a ‘warming up/ technique part, repertoire,
summary of lesson’ model, the time was used in a more fluid way to ensure Sarah
understood very clearly what she was learning and how to continue playing at home. My
main goal was to show Sarah a healthy approach to guitar technique in a very natural
way that worked from the mindset of a child.
Some of the didactic methods I used were the following:
-playing musical games (e.g. ‘3 times in a row perfect’, ‘which animal does this sound
like?’)
-repeating important ideas over the hour -playing duo accompaniment part with melody
-Although I was only teaching Sarah for a month, I feel that she learned a lot more
about music, and slowly learned a good foundation of guitar technique. I would like to
improve my vocabulary with children.
TEACHING REPORT / STAGE VERSLAG
Methodiek CvA
Name pupil(s): Manuel
Name student: Kristian Del Cantero
Instrument: Guitar
Lesson dates: July and August 2018
Location: Aspen, CO

You write a short report about the pupils you taught.

You describe
● how they started
● what they learned
● what didactic methods / repertoire / material you used
● how you organized the lessons
● your teaching style

Furthermore you reflect upon your teaching skills:

● What were your goals at the start of the teaching period?
● What did you learn about teaching?
● Which skills are already good, what do you need to improve?

31
 ●
Manuel is 16 years old. He is a very good amateur guitarist, and has been playing for
about 4 years. He lives in Aspen, CO, and works as a waiter at a restaurant in Aspen.
Manuel had the “Lead Guitar” book, however he found it too rudimentary, so we decided
to learn technique and repertoire from my own knowledge, based on the needs and
wants of Manuel. The lessons were organized in my usual format: warming up/
technique part,, repertoire, and summary of lesson.
For Manuel, I had a few goals:
-teach him to listen more acutely to the sounds he produces
-relieve tension in both hands -talk about exaggerating phrasing, dynamics, etc
(what the audience hears, vs what you hear)
Over the time I was teaching Manuel, his sound improved greatly, however it was not
directly from myself talking about sound production with him. I believe that he paid
attention to listening to his sound and thinking intelligently about dynamics and
phrasing, that he saw he could produce better tone and volume to accommodate a
more full sound. Manuel learned Spanish Romance, some short Tarrega pieces, a
flamenco piece, and one of my own compositions. It was great to see him start to
become more interested in guitar music, and his own music making.
Some of the didactic methods I used in the lessons with Manuel were:
-Mirroring -Conducting -Constructive Criticism -Improvising Together

32