Lishan Xue

My objective in teaching is to motivate each student’s interest in music, develop their ability to learn, and guide them to become critical thinkers. I form a student-centered and positive environment, regardless of the teaching format, and adjust according to each specific situation. I design and modify my teaching plan to consider the interconnection between students’ knowledge, culture, background, learning abilities, current social events, and the subject to be discussed in the lesson and class. Additionally, my teaching processes hold the balance between cognitive and experiential, making learning more effective through multidisciplinary interactions while taking advantage of technology.   

For applied lessons, I emphasize that a student fully understands a challenge and learns how to improve, so after the lesson, they can work on it independently. For example, if a student has trouble playing scales smoothly with their right hand upwards, the problem usually is the turn, where the thumb does not connect with the third finger well enough. I will point out what specific reasons are causing this issue and offer solutions and exercises for them to practice. When I teach group piano classes, beyond learning new content, I address their common issues and show them tactics step-by-step to improve and help them set goals to be achieved. In introductory music theory classes, when students have trouble understanding new subjects or music terms, it is always helpful to use analogies to relate the topic to their lives. Additionally, although students need to know the necessary information about a music term, style, or composer, forcing them to memorize the facts or long-winded explanations is pointless. Instead, I lead students to understand why it is important to know specific terms and styles, what are their unique characteristics, and how these things connect to the music they are learning.   

Teaching is an adventure in which both teacher and students participate. During the journey, I encourage students to develop their own voices so that they will feel comfortable enough to express their own interpretations and views and are not scared of the difficulties and mistakes they will face during the journey. By appreciating and supporting a student as they struggle in the learning process, the trust between the teacher and student grows stronger and makes the learning more effective.    I believe education can extend beyond the classroom, and teachers serve as role models offering universal advice on topics ranging from concepts to future career options. I commit to supporting students holistically because of the opportunity to better their lives. This opportunity to impact all facets of my students is why I consider teaching a sacred occupation.