Nderitu Kiragu
I am a music graduate from Kenyatta University, Classical piano and Classical guitar major. I have been a music instrument teacher for the past 7 years in Nairobi, Kenya.
Location Nairobi, Kenya
Activity
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Every one of my classes during this past few weeks have been so different as compared to my many years of practice. My students are smiling and saying more not forgetting playing a lot more. I am also more confident in class, very relaxed and prepared. This course didn't just improve my teaching, it has helped me realise my teaching ambitions and by extension...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This is an awesome list. Definitely getting a blank shelf to load them on. There is no way I am leaving learning how to teach at this point. This is a great compass for the long journey ahead.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Very insightful!! This video creates a complete paradigm shift of how I view my class before they start. It is also useful to know that the student will most certainly come to class in a different state than last time and it doesn't necessarily mean that their drive or motivation has changed.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
One is bread the other butter, they go very well together. I definitely use both. It is a way to keep both the teacher and student smiling and satisfied while achieving the desired end result.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This is very helpful. The emphasis of the discussion between the teacher and student about goals and plans is very well articulated. I definitely need to do this more often in my classes. Thank you for this invaluable information.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Phrases like "Aha!, Oh!, so that's how!" are some immediate feedbacks I get. Usually after a week after having an "Aha!" session, the student is well practiced and the strides are usually wider which means its time to move things up a notch.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
I am always asking for accurate and honest feedback from the student, I follow this up with the parents and most of the time if feedback from either is contradictory I'll have a session with both the parent and the student to paint a clearer picture for all of us. So far this has worked well.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Overall, this statement stands out for me in the document:
"......Choosing pieces which balances these demands, where the
notes and fluency is fairly quickly established and allows
time for musical imagination, discussion, subtlety and
experimentation will greatly enhance the pupil’s musical
experience and enjoyment." -
After reading the article I now know how important a constant review of short term, medium and long term goals are. It keeps both the student and the teacher oriented. This way the music lessons have a much more solid impact in the overall life of the the student way further up into their career.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This is very central. It is always important to have a student pointed in a particular direction. This is the only way to know you are moving forward. I will use it as a template to create my own this summer holiday. This is very detailed for an example. Thank you very much.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Working on the my students' compositions always gives them a remarkable boost. Students just love it when their little fragments of ideas turn into complete story telling pieces and songs.
Staging mini-recitals and playing at teatime concerts adds to the list of reasons why they want to keep learning. There is something about a hearty applause that seems to...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
It is important to keep the interests and passions of our students alive and pointed in the right directions. It is our responsibility to light up the way and hold their hands where necessary. The ability to share music with the rest of the world through performance I believe should be at the heart of it.
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1. A student who knows and practices what they want to learn.
Students who fall in this category are usually very self driven and usually practice if the material provided for the lesson is in line with their goals. It might be challenging to develop other areas of piano playing that are required for their level. My approach to this type of students is using... -
This is a great story. I think the balance lies in our wisdom to gauge the level of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation before pulling such. Your teacher judged yours well.
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Alot of lessons learnt from the previous topic I must say. Usually, I pan out my class in sections with clear objectives. We achieve them and agree that they'd be a notch higher by the time we meet for the next class. I learnt to only expect progress on content covered and understood well so I focus on getting the 100% in class and getting 110% during practice.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Clearly highlighting a list of strengths and weaknesses by the students themselves is a great idea. Ofcourse this can be done by recording. The list with its definitions is really helpful. It's going into my next class.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Giving a student the capacity to assess themselves and bring out points of growth at this time and age is equal to giving them wings. With this, they can fly even further than we could ever take them given the access of information we all have. Concepts in this topic overlap with life lessons. Real growth in life is also measured as moving from dependent to...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
I have noticed from the some of the students who I picked when they were just about to quit had been working on pieces and music abit further than their level. There is history of very little progress and alot of frustration. Pacing the student just right is critical.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
I look at ABRSM as a system I call 'organized fun'. It's a system that has laid out music and instrumental pedagogy in a systematic yet flexible form. In addition to the benefits that come with music education, it has visible trophies and the end goal is clear, at the very end; the aspects that define the human stands out.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
I have had all my students through referrals and from audiences present in the school's teatime concerts and recitals.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Useful information over here.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Heard Laurel. I wish Beethoven had this information. Then he'd have fully fathomed the impact of his 9th symphony to the audience and the audience to him.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Living in a city as loud as Nairobi and listening to this very important information can be a bit unsettling. I can't wait to get to the part of how to protect our hearing. The information on threshold shifts now make sense of the people who seem 'immune' to dangerous noise levels. It is sad to know though that such habits and inclinations would eventually...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Great intro. Sounds like there's more to the ear than meets the eye.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
There's a wealth of information inform of books and pieces from my favourite websites: imslp and Scribd that allow me to access and share content at a small fee. You tube is a great resource for watching and listening to the greatest musicians of our time.
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This is an important reminder that being teachers is much more than building musical capacity. It's an avenue to foster good life habits and patterns that enable us and our students to live out our lives in the highest of our capacities.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
In one of the institutions I work in there is information required on:- Cancellations (must be done 24hrs in advance), Reasons for study (leisure, exam based etc.), Mode of payment which includes fees and deadlines and Parent's' commitment to supervision.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Love the template and the guidelines provided. In Kenya, this is not a very serious legal issue but I strongly feel that our parents and clients really require it for a sense of accountability, quality and assurance.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
I have worked with a pupil with dyslexia and ADHD (stated in the previous comments). It's fascinating the way the class runs. Usually (as any teacher would do) I have a list of objectives we need to meet, she usually has a way of expressing how she'd learn the concepts best. Usually because of her lateral thinking, they are unconventional, creative and often...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This information is transformational. I have student who has dyslexia overlayed with ADHD. You bet my posture changed when I read the title of the document. I am on a roll to ensure that she finds her voice in piano playing (which she actually enjoys). This material is also very helpful to one of my colleagues running a music department for children with...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Timbre on piano. There are some subtle nuances that make or break a piece (you can feel and hear when there right and when they are not). I have been developing vocabulary for that. This program has really come in handy in giving me a way to express them.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
There is a lot of emphasis on looking at our own technique and consulting where we fall short. I feel like this article contains more truths on instrumental teaching across the board. From teaching holding an instrument to reducing tension. I am not a woodwind teacher but I didn't have to be one to fully connect and learn from the concepts discussed here. This...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Great pdf and video to say what could only be experienced by exposure to an audio visual. Felt like I can pick up a brass instrument and learn it from the pdf that is accompanied by links and videos by the anonymous brass teacher.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Can't wait to try out the straw and water myself. I got students who I know would want to that for an entire session. The tongue out exercise is also fun and funny. Miss Heidi Inc. just solved the mystery of teaching singing. Thank you very much for this gems of information.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Very detailed and well articulated. The concepts are very straightforward and easy to understand. I have found the soft palate topic very eye opening.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This is a very conscientious summary. A video demo would be the cherry on top. The number of references and listening list suggested in the examples are so rich!!
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Assessment of technique has not been a conscious topic in my classes but it sure is at the heart of measuring progress. The very visible aspects such as posture and relaxation are aspects of technique I am watching out for. Musical shaping, tone and intonation, the relationship of the student and the instrument, pulse and rhythm and communication are all...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
My approach to technical studies is tailored to my students needs at the particular moment as well as the students' strengths. I use their strengths to enhance their weak points. For instance, I have a student who enjoys composition but is not excited to play scales. We found a way to weave scales into some of her new music. She is happy to play them in this...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Again, emphasis on what motivates and inspire our students seem to be at the heart of being s better teacher. Technique is important. How it is introduced and presented is even more key. This flexible approach factors in the fact that technique needs to make the music easy and fun. Proper technique is enabling, like 'cheatcodes' to achieve emotional and...
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Very true. It would only add the wealth of music on the globe. I bet some of our students over here would be more than excited to play something closer home.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
For the first performance : accuracy of notes, keeping a steady pulse and playing accurate rhythms would be a point of focus. It sounds like the pupil spends a good amount of time playing the introduction and a few sections have received very little attention. I would isolate the challenging bars and focus on achieving accurate notes, good tempo and a good...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Honestly, klezmer is a new idiom to me. Totally fallen in love with it. I wish we could have some music derived from some African idioms as well e.g. Sengenya of the Mijikenda people of Kenya or Mbube of the Zulu of South Africa.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Precisely!!! I believe this connection is what draws us to the art and craft that music is. The ability of music to encapsulate history and stories, evoke emotion and inspire imagination.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Overtime I realized that most of my students will only practice what we've gone through in class properly. There very few instances where a student will proactively practice 'the next few bars'. Context of a piece in terms of style and tempo is key while introducing a piece. My approach has been to introduce this from the very beginning and work up the song...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
A chord progression in a style of their liking usually does it. I'd ask them to hum the melody or the baseline pattern and encourage him/her to play it by playing it for them a couple of times. Then I'd let them develop the melody by using the question and answer analogy. If they are too shy to play, we sing first and write the notes later.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This makes music lessons sound like a play date. I know I'd be looking forward to a class where I get to imagine and make stuff. The concept of improvisational stimuli is as exciting as is new. !!! This is definitely going in the lesson plan!!!
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This is history in practice. Very important to note that notation has always been a means to communicating musical information and not the music itself. This puts the whole terminology we've used e.g. minims, crochets and the c (half circle) in context. This journey back in time has improved my future and that of my students.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This is epic!! Imaginative teaching is exciting and much more fruitful.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This for me provides a deeper context for lesson planning for teaching a piece. Now it makes much more sense why learning a piece of music seems to be difficult at the beginning for most of the new students I get. This concept of developing skills independently before introducing notation is priceless. It feeds onto the philosophy of teaching students to teach...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
The most intriguing thing fact of truth is the feeling of prior knowledge it evokes when it is unveiling right before our eyes. It almost feels like your innermost desires and reflections are being put into words and being projected right back at you. Core aural awareness is the liquid in the sauce that puts all the ingredients (dexterity, sight reading,...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
There are particular concepts that seem to evade the technical and musical vocabulary when teaching. Anthony has a way of explaining this that is so articulate! "Technique is all about the right sound at the right time". This statement has been echoed again in this video, now within the music.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
"Musical achievement should never be measured by the quantity of difficulty of notes played but in the expressive subtlety and awareness of the performance." - This is a complete paradigm shift.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
The level of detail and quality of instruction is phenomenon. It is evident that the teacher is a master in the matter of style and the student is just ready to delve into the topic. Nikki Iles would be proud.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
I have a student who had a very hard time reading and concentrating in class but has a very good ear and musical memory. I shared this with the parents and they shared that the reading was a problem across all the student's subjects. They had the pupil tested and it turned out that the student has a condition known as dyslexia as well as adhd. This...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Over the years I have strived to use music only as a medium for inspiration to life and development of the human. I have done this through performance as well as pedagogy. This inclination resonates deeply with the statements made from the above videos. Teaching the students to teach themselves as well as giving the students a voice to express their inner...
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Hello. I am Nderitu Kiragu, I recent graduate in music piano major. I have been teaching piano, guitars and music theory for the past 7 years and have been performing for the past nine . On a quest to enhance my pedagogy skills and interact with the community of teachers over here.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Very practical approach. Zoe just provided me with a way to tailor my classes in a way that is fun and balanced. 'Using a pupil's strength to address their areas of challenge', this really stood out. It is interesting to note the similarities our students share to our own learning journeys and use that to motivate them.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
This statement below gave me a whole new perspective to music teaching. I am also more inspired as a musician as well as music teacher:
"....I’m forging those connections, that umbilical
cord between emotion and communication and
creativity and imagination and a love of sound
and their own personal feelings and how they can
communicate those through... -
Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Mirrors the earlier lesson on teaching philosophies: 'demonstrating and paying attention to the precise order in which things are tackled IN RESPONSE to something a pupil plays in the lesson. The improvements are evidently immediate. The lesson is holistic, fun and I can tell the guy is having so much fun in class and can't wait to go practice.
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Nderitu Kiragu made a comment
Never have I heard my desires and goals articulated so precisely with words as in these video. It totally resonates with what I am always working towards, teaching pupils to teach themselves. How Mark Tanner explains the how is just pure wisdom. The final statement "Payback comes from hearing your students grow in confidence" stood out for me.
