116: What If You’ve Missed the Whole Point of Teaching

Sometimes I wonder if we get so focused on goals, repertoire, and achievement that we miss the bigger picture of why we teach music in the first place. In this episode, we're talking about what it means to create truly musical students, why collaborative experiences matter, and how the journey of learning may be more important than any destination we imagine for our students. Rachel challenged teachers to rethink what success in music lessons really means.She used the metaphor of a bus journey to illustrate different teaching approaches.Why the journey of learning is more important than a final destination.How creative activities build deeper musicianship.The value of movement, exploration, and play in lessons was emphasized.Rachel explained how collaborative activities strengthen multiple musical skills at once.How conducting, echo games, and singing support overall musicianship.She encouraged teachers to use duet playing as more than just a performance activity.How collaborative skills open lifelong musical opportunities for students.Rachel reminded teachers that the goal is to create lifelong music makers who find joy in music. Links Mentioned TMPP 115: Sight-Reading and Collaborative Skills for Young Learners with Jenna BraaksmaFree Resource:A Piano Teacher's Guide to Collaboration About Rachel Ehring Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda. Visit her website at RachelEhring.comVisit her Instagram page: @rachelehringVisit her YouTube channel: @dreamlavendermusic6694Visit her Etsy shop at Dream Lavender Music Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly. TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership. TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL