I'm standing in the middle of the music classroom. Two brothers sit side by side on the piano bench eight feet in front of me, rehearsing the duet they're preparing for our Spring recital. It's our first coaching session together.
The piece is an original composition by the younger brother, a 4th grader. What began as a solo piece based on the 12-bar blues has become a piano 4-hand arrangement with an intro, two verses, and a tag ending.
I watch their interactions, the way they negotiate tempo and shared space:
Who will cue the beginning?
Who will lead the ritardando at the end?
How do we balance the dynamics in different registers?
I step in at times—to mediate, ask a question, or invite them to consider other vantage points—but mostly, I just listen and observe how they communicate and collaborate.
I love this hybrid role of teacher-facilitator (something I talked about on the podcast recently, Ep. 042):
As a teacher, I'm thinking and planning a few steps ahead of where they are and guiding them through the learning process.
As a facilitator, I'm offering support, making suggestions, or helping generate ideas, but only if needed. The learners are the leaders here.
There's something special about this moment: stepping back to observe democratic learning at work, and experiencing how music is co-constructed, created, and shared.
This reminds me of jazz conductor and composer, Maria Schneider—we watched her conduct a concert at Eastman last week.
She stood in front of the ensemble and got the piece started: setting the tempo, guiding dynamics, and giving cues; but partway through the piece, she stepped off to the side of the stage and experienced the performance as an observer. She watched and listened from a new vantage point. She let the learners be the leaders.
Often as teachers and directors, we find ourselves in the middle of the construction or creation process, but every once in a while, it's good to step back and take everything in.
How can you incorporate this approach into your work? How can you watch and listen from a new vantage point?
