AHJ, Vol. 2 No. 1, Spring 1969

TIIOUGIITS
ON
TEACHING
by Marjorie Call
This past summer I gave a great deal of
thought to my responsibilities as a teacher,
trying to analyze what I must do for the student
as well as what he must do for himself.
Harp playing is a matter of learning a
skill. In the old days a young man learned a
skill, such as shoemaking, by being apprenticed
to a master shoemaker. By watching
and assisting and gradually applying knowledge
under supervision he learned his trade.
The process of learning to play the harp is
cut from the same cloth, and is hardly likely
to be replaced by computerized instruction.
Unfortunately, from a university standpoint,
there is the matter of grades. I personally
don't believe in grades because playing
the harp is a way of life-you either
play it or you don't. I could not imagine life
without it, and hope that my students will
come to share in this feeling with me. But
grades must be reckoned with, and the best
course seems to be to grade the student on
the ability to reach certain goals within a
specific time. Therefore, in the beginning
we decide what must be achieved during the
semester in order to get a certain grade by
the mid-semester and semester end. I encourage
the student not to work for a grade,
but to honestly work for himself and for his
own achievement. Interest in accomplishment
then can become so paramount that
the student can get a good grade and not
particularly care.
Now I don't mean to imply that the acquisition
of a skill is all there is to it. Certainly
the basic aim is the gaining of a fluent technique.
But technique should not be an end
in itself, nor should the absorption of the
SPRING 1969
major works in the literature, if these are
to be played in a pedestrian manner. The
catalyst that brings all facets of playing together
into a workable and artistic whole is
111 usicianship.
Actually, musicianship has less to do with
the harp and more to do with the player's
basic knowledge, sensitivity and general culture.
This, naturally, will find its focal point
in the harp, but by broadening the overall
artistic view, a more sensitive and meaningful
approach to the harp becomes possible.
Not only the artistic view should be broadened,
for in the playing of a truly great artist
can be seen a reflection of the whole human
condition.
But what can the student do to improve
his artistic vision? While much can be done
only with the process of increasing experience,
a real beginning can and should be
made. First, I recommend that the student
listen to recordings to gain a basic knowledge
of musical literature. Various interpretations
should be heard, and a score
should be followed. When the student can
find out for himself the difference between
the interpretations of, say, Stokowski, or
Reiner, or Toscanini, then he is well on the
way. Naturally, no one interpretation is
right and all others wrong. Are all snowflakes
alike? But which one is pref erred
and why?
Secondly, the student should visit art galleries,
in order to learn how the arts are related,
and come to some conclusions about
the basic unity of the artistic impulse in
man. Why is a particular painter so great?
How long do you look at a masterpiecefive
minutes, two hours, or until it "speaks"?
How does shape relate to function in a Chinese
porcelain jar? If early Attic sculpture
might be compared to the forceful majesty
of Monteverdi, to what might we compare
an athlete by Polykleitos? What is the difference
between Monet and Manet? What
was so great about Rembrandt or Diirer or
Rodin?
In addition, the student should read biographies
of great men not only in music, but
in all fields. This will serve to show how
each one of us is individual, yet how a certain
pattern or continuity runs through all
of us. Like the snowflakes.
The student should also extend his artistic
horizons to encompass the ballet. This too
9