Wednesday Webinar:

Traditional teacher–student relationships in music were built on the exchange of full attention. Today, one of the most common frustrations we encounter as pedagogues is that our students’ attention has not only diminished, but the quality of it has changed. Surrounded by constant stimulation and quick rewards, many young musicians find it hard to settle, listen deeply, or stay present. In this webinar I will explore the question: how can we, as teachers, help cultivate not only an ability to pay attention more fully, but a quality of attention that nourishes our young musicians?

Mindfulness is, at its heart, the practice of attention — and research in neuroscience and ancient spiritual traditions shows that attention is trainable. Together we will consider attention not just as the narrow focus we know as concentration, but as the ability to move easily between close and spacious awareness. We will also look at how we as teachers can bring the compassionate qualities of discernment and curiosity to the way we pay attention to our students, thus loosening the grip of their inner critic by developing an inner language of care and interest.

The session includes a 20-minute meditation and time for questions and reflection.