Teaching Approach and Goals
Eugene's first goal is to put himself out of business, meaning getting a student to the point where they...
- Are self-sufficient and can function without a teacher and
- Are especially able to quickly identify problems and fix them correctly by themselves
- Set their own goals
- Know how to practice and play correctly, efficiently, and all that stuff about reeds, and more!
To that end, Eugene uses positive reinforcement and Socratic methods of teaching. He never misses a chance to remark on any improvement. Criticism is given with a neutral attitude and a "Let's fix this together" approach. Asking questions such as, "What did you do wrong?" achieves more than telling the student what they did wrong or doing their thinking for them. This helps the student to think more independently. The sooner the student notices a problem, the less likely that problem becomes a harder-to-fix bad habit.
Eugene rarely just shows a student 'how a piece goes.' Rote teaching makes a student more dependent on the teacher. Teaching a student how to figure it out for themselves leads to independence. (Teach a person how to fish, etc., etc.) Eugene uses this approach throughout, covering all the things needed to become a good musician. 'Don't ask me how to show you how it goes. I will teach you how to figure it out for yourself.' Anything new or not understood is explained in clear, easy-to-understand language.
