Summer School 2019: Georgia Morrison

ESTA Summer School Bursary Report 2019

Georgia Morrison

This summer I was incredibly grateful to receive a Nannie Jamieson Nutshell Bursary sponsored by Lark which made it possible for me to attend the 2019 ESTA Summer School. Thank you so much to Lark and ESTA for their help. I was only able to attend three days of the course, but the schedule was jam-packed with wonderful workshops and concerts, so I have come away with many exciting new ideas and feel invigorated for the start of the new school year!

The ‘Upper Strings Basics’ sessions with Joanne May were particularly interesting. These focused on the pedagogy of Paul Rolland, which I was not familiar with before. At the beginning of each session we were able to watch a clip from the films that Paul Rolland made himself and it was invaluable to be able to see his teaching first-hand, especially since movement is so central to his philosophy. I particularly liked the imaginative ideas about how to use left hand pizzicato, for example plucking in low, medium and high positions and on any string, and asking the students to come up with different combinations and rhythms. I am also looking forward to trying out left-hand pizzicato on the D, G and A strings for chords I, IV and V to accompany well-known melodies in D major – it will be a great way for students to learn about harmony and also to have fun with melodies while they are still playing open strings. I have already bought Paul Rolland’s book ‘The Teaching of Action in String Playing’ and am looking forward to using it in the coming term.

I really enjoyed Paul Harris’s talk about how to get the most out of your students - his approach to teaching is refreshing and inspirational. I found the concept of ‘judgemental praise’ versus ‘appreciative praise’ really interesting, as well as the Pygmalion effect he spoke about: ‘As the teacher believes the student to be, so the student becomes’. I also liked his ideas about using questions more effectively in lessons – using them to check a pupil’s understanding before they play and avoid falling into the dangerous trap of mistakes and then criticism, and also using them to give the pupil a sense of power in the lesson, perhaps by asking them what they would like to do next in order to improve an aspect of their playing.

As well as these inspiring workshops, there were many other aspects of the course which made it a really special few days. There was ample time to chat to fellow delegates about music and I met so many lovely people and gained insight into different areas of teaching. The yoga sessions run by Jane Fenton were brilliant and I also loved the evening concerts by incredible performers - Steve Bingham and Jeremy Harmer, and Mark and Maggie O’Connor.

Thank you again to ESTA for planning and running a wonderful course!