http://www.savvymusician.com/blog/2009/07/college-music-teaching%e2%80%94the-real-scoop/ Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:03:40 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://www.savvymusician.com/blog/2009/07/college-music-teaching%e2%80%94the-real-scoop/comment-page-1/#comment-115 Dawn S. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:15:06 +0000 http://www.savvymusician.com/blog/?p=74#comment-115 If you got hired to teach something else, and then had theory thrown in as a bonus, you will have to study various theory text books and decide which one you like best. Your own theory knowledge will improve exponentially as you teach. You do need to be ahead of your class and have long-range teaching goals in mind, but remember that unless you are in a really big, strong music department (in which case a real theory person would be hired to teach theory, or the classes would be given to theory grad students) you will be lucky if all the students in your class even read music. You will know a lot more than they do no matter what. But if you failed theory and hate it, teaching it is not a good idea. Theory is an important class and is more than just about "chords," although that is too often how it is taught. Taught correctly, it will help any musician, whether performer, composer, or historian. If you got hired to teach something else, and then had theory thrown in as a bonus, you will have to study various theory text books and decide which one you like best. Your own theory knowledge will improve exponentially as you teach. You do need to be ahead of your class and have long-range teaching goals in mind, but remember that unless you are in a really big, strong music department (in which case a real theory person would be hired to teach theory, or the classes would be given to theory grad students) you will be lucky if all the students in your class even read music. You will know a lot more than they do no matter what.
But if you failed theory and hate it, teaching it is not a good idea. Theory is an important class and is more than just about “chords,” although that is too often how it is taught. Taught correctly, it will help any musician, whether performer, composer, or historian.

]]> http://www.savvymusician.com/blog/2009/07/college-music-teaching%e2%80%94the-real-scoop/comment-page-1/#comment-110 Hagit C. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:17:10 +0000 http://www.savvymusician.com/blog/?p=74#comment-110 What do you suggest to people who snoozed during their theory classes and feel inadequate to teach theory (even to undergraduates)? Are there any recommended self-teaching books? What do you suggest to people who snoozed during their theory classes and feel inadequate to teach theory (even to undergraduates)? Are there any recommended self-teaching books?

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