I start my one-on-one coachings by saying, “How are you doing?” My students know I mean it, truly.
Before I ask, “What did you practice?” or “When are you submitting your recording?” or “Where were you last week?” I need to make sure my students are surviving.
It’s okay to be human first.
Sometimes an entire 15-minute mini-lesson might transpire with no talk of music. That’s not a bug, that’s a feature. It builds capacity in my relationship with my students. It builds rapport that we I can take advantage of in future lessons. It builds trust that I have their best interests in mind.
And more important, it allows me to make sure they really are doing okay. It’s hard out there. It’s always hard to be a teenager, to be a twenty-something. It’s always hard, and then there’s 2020.
It’s okay to be human first. (It’s also okay to reveal that it’s not always sunshine and roses for you, as a teacher. Students need to hear that.)
In the end, the music we make can only be as solid as the human beings making it. If we as teachers can prioritize humanity and human connection first, in the end our students will be better able to make great music.