"When Am I Going to Use This?"

[Tyler Walton]

Have you ever been asked this question by a student?: "When am going to use this stuff that you're teaching me?"
I have only had a handful of students ever ask me this question over the ten years that I have been teaching drums, but I still get this one from time to time. I often start every one of my students on the same thing: a healthy diet of rudiments and basic rock grooves that are to be played many times in a row without stopping and with a metronome. I explain to them that the point of it all is to get them playing in time and consistently; and the rudiments are the musical equivalent of eating your vegetables. I explain that rudiments for a drummer are the equivalent of a guitar player practicing scales. It is sometimes difficult to convey to a student how they will IMMEDIATELY go out into the world and apply a five-stroke roll. The bigger picture is that it develops hand technique, which obviously aids in everything a drummer does. I also explain that, frankly, even if you never use a five-stroke roll on a gig, it is simply something you should know how to do if you intend on calling yourself a drummer. That one doesn't sit as well.

 

[MonkeyZero]

From my student point of view, as I'm not a teacher, I'll explain my reasoning for asking a similar question. Most students are probably asking for the exact reason you think they are, they think they only need to learn things that are "practical and applicable" in their minds. Now, they don't know what's practical and applicable, that's why they're the student.
For me, I ask because I want to know how everything fits together. I play guitar, and I can't take group lessons. The reason is that I ask a ton of questions and would probably hold the group back. I ask because I like to see how things work. I never ask because I don't see a reason for it, I ask because it helps me link things in my mind and learn to use them. If the answer is "because it trains your hands to do x" I'm cool with that, but I always have to know. Its just how my mind works.
It can lead to getting ahead of the lesson at times, but it makes me see the big picture and I work better having some insight as to where things are going.
Maybe I'm a pain in the ass, I don't know, but I feel like I'm asking for the right reasons, not just because I don't want to do a certain practice routine.
Make sense?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Tyler Walton]

Makes perfect sense. I'm referring to students who ask this question often. The idea that they won't be able to go on a gig and play a paradiddle at some point throughout the evening makes learning rudiments seem worthless to them. I have to explain that, while not directly applicable to most musical situations, it is important to learn this stuff.

 

[Modern Saint]

I can only explain best in regards to scales while being the equivilant to a drummers rudiments. I view scales (rudiments) as the ABC's of guitar (drums). While I don't noticably use the letter X or Z very much, it will come up and it is better to know than not. Besides how often will I be eXposed to an eXit on a freeway between California and AriZona while listening to OZZy's music?

 

[wagdog]

One of the things I learned when I started teaching (not music, however I think ALL teachers need to have similar basic skills) was lesson planning.

There are of course several facets to planning a lesson, but you can break it down to four general areas;

1. What are you teaching.
2. WHY are you teaching it.
3. How will you teach it.
4. How will you assess that the student learned it (and at what level will the student need to demonstrate it to be considered successful?).

When a lot of teachers first start out they will try to use "it's good to know" for #2, and while they're probably RIGHT, it's never an acceptable answer. The teacher KNOWS it's good to know, but the student does not and will not unless they can connect that knowledge to something that THEY think is good to know. Without the student attaching that importance then that knowledge is competing with all the other things their brain may be processing at that given moment in time.

So that "how am I going to use this" question is valid, and I believe all teachers (of anything) should be prepared to answer it or perhaps revisit why they are teaching a particular skill in the first place.

And FWIW, it does sound like your prepared to answer it and even explained it beforehand - but maybe ask yourself honestly if you've explained the WHY part in enough detail and in language that the student can identify with.

 

[Tyler Walton]

I agree with you. Maybe I have a slightly skewed perspective. I've studied with about ten private instructors since I began playing drums at age ten. I never once asked any of them when I would use a certain technique I was learning or why they were teaching it to me. I never wanted to be perceived as rude or disrespectful for questioning my instructor(s). I figured they had a plan, and I was willing to fully submit to it. I just kept my head down and practiced the material. I would then figure out ways to apply it to my general playing in bands, if I could find a way. Things worked out for me.

 

[wagdog]

Another thing I learned when I started teaching was that most of us tend to teach in the same style that we were taught, or in the fashion that we personally learn best.

It's part of the reason people connect with some teachers and not others.

 

[Flamencology]

I see a lot of this, less so in music and more in acting.

Wax on, wax off. Trust is the important thing.

 

[Pitar]

It's pragmatically impossible to be, or become a universally capable instructor. Being imperfect to the task is the initial challenge to remember and negotiate. Then, developing the cadre of answers that satisfies everyone in the shortest time span possible is the best you can hope to do; time being money.

There was one instance when the (relevance) question weighed so heavily on a particular school system that English and Mathematics courses were dropped as 4-year high school requirements. That lasted for 2 years and was reversed. (Cook County, IL, 1973-1975). IOW, certain things just have to be taught/learned.

You can burden yourself in an attempt to placate all the impatience you encounter as an instructor or you can sort your students out keeping to the more serious and dropping the malcontents. Avoid the square pegs.