A Professor of Performing Arts Pedagogy reveals the learning strategies she uses to trigger the four ‘knowledge emotions’ in her students.

Whether teaching at Guildhall or in her own private studio, Professor Roberta Wolff has one mission: encouraging her students to go on an active learning journey.

She believes (and there’s plenty of science to back her up) that students learn best when they engage, analyse and reflect (as opposed to passively receiving information).

Speaking on the Singing Teachers Talk podcast, Roberta reveals the learning strategies she uses in her work teaching on Guildhall’s PGCert programme and as a coach and piano teacher.

These centre around what psychologists call the ‘learning emotions’: interest, surprise, confusion and awe.

“If we create opportunities for students to experience these emotions in our lessons, then we can stimulate learning,” Roberta says.

Interest

It will come as no surprise that an interested student is more likely to engage with a lesson. Learning strategies to spark interest could include:

• Adapting repertoire or using repertoire that aligns with the student’s tastes.
• Creating a context for the music. “For me, this involves creating stories for my students around the music, or the composer and their life.”
• Noticing a pattern or a harmonic progression.
  

Surprise

Surprise – that jolt you get when something unexpected happens – can heighten awareness and focus.  

“This can be a teacher doing something a little bit silly, like a crazy demonstration or using something differently,” Roberta says. “I have a box full of teaching props, and we have specific ways of using them. But occasionally, we’ll just toss a ball around or do something playful and unexpected in the lesson.”

Confusion

In some circumstances, confusion can be a prompt to analyse or investigate. But there’s a caveat.

“The student needs to believe that they are going to be able to work through that confusion,” explains Professor Wolff. If they feel too overwhelmed, their sense of confusion may be demotivating.

“If a student is confused, we can talk to them about it and explain that it’s part of learning. We can ask: ‘What do you think you can do here to get a deeper understanding?’. You’re starting to get them to think through the processes they might be working through.”

Awe

“Awe is interesting because it is something that humans most often experience when they’re in nature or engaging with music,” she says.

Listening to a beautiful piece of music – be it a recording or live demonstration – can be a great way to inspire awe.

“But what can undermine it is if, as teachers, we’re always trying to correct the student and tell what they got wrong.”

Learn more

Listen to the full interview with Professor Roberta Wolff where she also discusses:

• The importance of continuous professional development for singing teachers.
• A tip to encourage students to take ownership of their practice routine.