Polishing repertoire. Coach-discuss-practice.
This type of activity is especially useful with formal or long-term groups.
Besides being an effective way to develop musicality, it makes the students
less apprehensive toward receiving suggestions and playing in front of others.
Groups of three students are formed. Each student performs a piece-in-progress
for the group while recording the performance to his keyboard sequencer or
to a disk. Then they exchange ideas, and receive comments and suggestions
from others in the group. Suggestions should be made in an agreeable way and
should include some type of modeling by the person making the suggestion.
The student receiving the suggestions should try them for the group. Each member keeps a private
journal of suggestions he or she has received, and grades them from most useful and desirable to
least useful. The group breaks and the individuals strive to incorporate
the best ideas into their playing. On a different day the group joins again.
The students play their original recording of the piece, explain what they
tried to improve or incorporate, and then perform their new, improved versions.
New suggestions are made, and they are recorded in the journal, to be
incorporated in future practice. The group assesses each student's progress
and the success in incorporating the suggestions. In order to encourage
contributions or to model new or more sophisticated ideas, the instructor
may choose to intervene and to make suggestions publicly after asking a student
to play for the whole class.