5 Secrets on How Top Cello Teachers Teach Cello Lessons

Rose Park - Lesson With You Co-founder - Live Online Music Lessons

Rose Park   11/30/21   • 3 min read

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Top cello teachers teach cello exceptionally well. They are professionally trained through years of intense cello practice and lessons starting at young ages. Because they have a considerable amount of cello lesson experiences, professional and experienced cello teachers know how to lead the cello lesson and communicate with students at all ages and levels.

Top cello teachers are also highly skilled at performing cello for live performances and studied cello and orchestral music, general music history, music theory and pedagogy. 

Top cello teachers know how to build a customized, individual curriculum based on the student’s musical strengths, weaknesses and cello goals. What other things can the top cello teachers do well that makes the cello lesson better and simply The Best?

5 ways Top cello teachers make cello lessons better

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Actively Listen To The Student’s Performance

Top cello instructors have good ears. Having good ears means that a teacher is able to multitask inside their heads while listening to the performance:

  • Appreciate music
  • Recognize and address challenges
  • Consider possible solutions to the problems
  • Remember specific parts in the music to discuss during the lesson

This detailed listening process allows the cello teacher to plan or modify the lesson materials for the day. More professional the cello teacher is, the faster they can discuss and cover many things in the lesson.

Accept Different Learning Styles

Each student is unique, undoubtedly. Students have different learning speeds, mindsets and skill sets which any cello teacher should take into account when building customized curriculums. 

High-quality cello lesson curriculums include performance feedback, listening exercises, discussion on aesthetic and technical features, teacher demonstration, musical analysis and more.

For instance, if the student needs a more slow-paced learning style, top cello teachers will consider covering less materials and add repetitive practices on specific phrases. If the student lacks musical or aesthetic side of the performance, teachers inspire students with new ideas and discuss ways to add personalities into music. 

Professionally trained top cello teachers know a wide range of repertoire including orchestral excerpts which allows them to choose music that matches the student’s skills but is also challenging enough so they can work together in the lesson.

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Professional Communication Skills

Top cello teachers understand the difficulties a student goes through during the learning journey. They intuitively know the specific parts in the music or the performance that need improvement. The next following step is what makes professional cello instructors exceptional.

Once a teacher acknowledges the problem, they address it to the student and explain how it needs to be fixed. Experienced cello teachers are able to communicate with the student by giving clear, precise instruction and guide them step by step.

An example of a high quality cello lesson is when a student understands, accepts the parts that need to be fixed and knows how to improve them before the next lesson. Top cello teachers are skilled at delivering clear instructions and keeping track of the student’s learning progress.

Motivate Students

Motivation drives students to do better in learning and practicing cello. Complementing the performance is one way to motivate a student, and top cello teachers should know when to praise the student’s progress.

Depending on the student’s personality and level, top cello teachers know how, and how much, to compliment the student’s performance.

Note that excessive praise will not encourage the student to practice and improve since young cello students or beginners tend not to know the importance of continuous training and performance development.

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Discuss Performance Opportunities

Top cello teachers have extensive cello performance backgrounds. This indicates that a teacher has participated in many recitals, competitions, orchestra and collaborative performances. Highly professional cello teachers emphasize students the importance of self-achievement through participating in public performances and competitions.

Additionally, top cello teachers will actively discuss the repertoire and consult with the students when and how to prepare for the upcoming performances. Depending on the student’s progress, teachers should also address the student’s parents about the performance (recital, competition) details.

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