MU327
Pedagogy and Integrated Wellness
5.0 Credits

Pedagogy and Integrated Wellness focuses on foundational issues pertaining to the teaching of music in the private studio/conservatory type setting and embedding these within a framework of wellness for both teacher and student. Body Mapping—the healthy awareness of the body and understanding of anatomy, structure and function as a firm somatic (body-informed) foundation upon which to build musical technique—sets the stage for the course, followed by an introduction to somatic training in Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais to cement this learning. Child development, including Suzuki pedagogy (ear training), Kindermusik (movement), Music for Young Children (theory/reading), as well as methods in andragogy and approaches to accessibility and mental health (both student health and teacher self- care) including performance anxiety, learning modalities, teaching the neurodiverse student and more, are introduced. Practical concerns of the private music teacher, such as best practices, business skills, concrete lesson examples, setting up a studio, involvement in area specific organizations and the like are introduced. The final 4 weeks of the course are dedicated to instrument-area breakout sessions to deal with technical-pedagogical elements specific to instrument families.