Listener

The best advice to educators I can give: be a listener.

Maybe you think it’s just for conductor/educators, who listen professionally. And it’s true, my colleagues in front of ensembles daily need finely honed ears that can hear and assess musical problems immediately.

But all educators have to be listeners. We need to hear what our students are saying to us about their needs, challenges, and successes.

We need to hear what our students are telling us beyond words, too – we must constantly listen to our students’ behaviors. That’s how we know what’s landing and what’s not.

People think it’s domain knowledge that makes a great teacher. And knowing your subject well is a great advantage. But great teachers are all great listeners. They hear their students in 1,000 ways and use what they hear to better teach.