APSMER2017 PROCEEDINGS

Proceedings of the 11th Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research
(APSMER 2017) 19th to 21st July 2017, Melaka MALAYSIA
Student-Teacher Programme:
A Piano Teaching Programme for
Grade 8 Graduates
Christy Wan Mooi Phang-Yau
Dorayme Music Tuition Studio, New Zealand
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to share my experience with the Student-
Teacher Programme that I have developed since 2003. The initial purpose of
this programme was to let my own Grade 8 piano graduates experience the
joy and fulfilment of passing their own knowledge in piano playing to the
younger generation. Most piano students would stop making music as soon
as they passed the final grade (Grade 8), so this programme allows them to
continue music making through teaching.
Most student-teachers are in their teenage years. They need to go
through a 6 to 8 months training programme that consists of observation
sessions, teaching practices, discussion sessions and attending pedagogy
courses. They will be offered teaching jobs after the initial training.
The teaching training continues while they are teaching in my studio
because real life challenges in their own teaching practices continue to
happen. When they reach the age of 18, they can choose to sit for either
Trinity College, Associate Board of Royal Schools of Music or the Institute of
Registered Music Teacher New Zealand Teaching Diploma followed by an
application to become an Associate of the Institute of Registered Music
Teacher New Zealand, a registered institution in New Zealand for music
teachers.
Through this programme, the student-teachers will not only learn how
to teach, but they also learn time management, communication (to younger
children as well as their parents), analytical and organization skills, and
most of all, they develop their self-confidence. Over the last 14 years I have
witnessed how the Student-Teacher Programme has helped these teenagers
to become confident, responsible young adults through teaching. The
teaching experience in their teenage years will benefit them for life.
Keywords: Student-Teacher, piano pedagogy, personal development,
qualification, career opportunity.
Background
The Student-Teacher Programme started accidentally in 2003 after I turned
down teaching a Filipino mother’s three children. From this mother’s
suggestion of getting my advanced students to teach under my supervision,
the Student-Teacher Programme was born.
Over the years, a lot of changes have been made to this training programme
in order to deliver the most appropriate teaching training to these young
student-teachers. It is still changing and improving every year.
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