Wednesday 3rd July – 11.00
Panel Discussion

The Role of the Teacher

Jon Burgess, Reporter
The panel discussion titled “The Role of the Teacher” was presented and chaired by Murray Greig (conference host and Senior trumpet professor at the Royal Northern College of Music). The impressive panel included Pierre Dutot (professor of trumpet at the Conservatoire National Superior de Musique in Lyon, France), Pasi Pirinen (principal trumpet of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra), John Hagstrom (2nd trumpet in the Chicago Symphony and trumpet teacher at DePaul University), Ian McKenzie (publisher of music educational materials as well as a trumpet teacher in Hampshire, England), and Marvin Stamm (jazz artist).

Murray Greig handed out a questionnaire he developed which researched how trumpet is taught around the world. This research included 150 University/College teachers throughout Great Britian and the United States. The questionnaire formed the basis of the discussion throughout the session.

Murray Greig began the discussion by asking each member of the panel to talk about their individual training and how it has affected their own teaching. All agreed that they had been greatly influenced by certain teachers and that they use many of the same ideas that they were taught in teaching their students today. Several common concepts of teaching came out of this discussion, one of the primary ideas was that it is the teachers role to help the student become their own best teachers. It is crucial for the teacher to be the motivator, role model, and to inspire the student to achieve a higher level of performance. Marvin Stamm observed, “it doesn’t matter how great the teacher is, if the student doesn’t applies the information presented to him”. Another of the panel members reaffirmed this comment by restating a comment he had heard, “that there are no great teachers, only great students.”

Discussion lead into whether any of the panel taught from a strict disciplined method. All seemed to be in agreement that, as teachers, they would rather be a guide in helping the student find their own talents as musicians and treat each student as an individual with different skills and talents. Pirinen related his experiences, as an example, of using the Stamp method. He talked about doing the method for a long period of time just because other great trumpet artists said they had used these exercises. It wasn’t until he studied with Michael Sachs that he understood the philosophy behind the exercises and began making progress. Discussion continued with how important it is to teach the philosophy or reasons why the students are being asked to prepare something in their lesson. The goal is to make every student autonomous so they can continue to grow on their own.

Pierre Dutot made comments on how important it is as a teacher to make the student aware of what they need to sound like, rather than forcing mechanics on them to produce a desired musical effect. By keeping the music as the goal the body becomes the real instrument. He emphasised the need to make sure the student is listening to themselves. John Hagstrom’s final comments were on how important it is for the teacher to show the student the requirements and sacrifices it takes to be a professional musician and then let the student decide for themselves whether they are willing to pay the price.

Murray Greig made the observation that the role of the teacher is such a huge area that this discussion barely scratched the service. The panel’s insights were of great interest and will provide fuel for thought long after the conference has ended. One of the most lasting impressions of ITG Conferences is to be able to hear firsthand great trumpet players such as those included on this panel discussing the role of the teacher.