| I'll put my 2cents in on this one:
For performative skills - language, singing, playing an instrument, dancing, etc. - the most effective learning procedure is to imitate an example. This is more crudely called "learning by rote". This is not the only way to learn something, obviously, but it is certainly the most direct.
Unless a student already has his/her sh.. really together, they better have a teacher who can SHOW them what to do - otherwise a lot of time will be spent chasing abstract concepts and misunderstood directions.
That being said, for people that DO indeed have their sh.. together, it's a good idea to expand your horizons with those aforementioned abstract concepts, etc. This is where the "coaching" aspect comes in to play.
Also, for musicians, there does have to be some "book-learnin'" in terms of knowing your scales, music theory, etc.
But, in terms of getting the right sound and figuring out how to approach the instrument, a good example to follow is better than anything else.
Just some thoughts. Interesting thread!
Bob |