Motivating Youth

by Veronica Bowman

Teacher and youth band conductor Veronica Bowman from South Australia gives her opinions and thoughts on motivating students and encouraging them to continue playing.

Young people are so busy these days that it seems to be getting more and more difficult for bands to recruit and keep young players. With competition from so many other exciting activities, including every sport imaginable, as well as the fact that most schools have a band, the brass band is less appealing and trainers and conductors really have to do something special and exciting to encourage young people to continue.

Motivation

Introduction:

Motivation is central to the music learning process. Motivation is fostered through music teachers, but this depends on the amount of attention and care taken in the teaching process.  With varied and appropriate repertoire, realistic standards, and individual personalities taken into account, motivation can be nurtured and maintained throughout the learning process. 

It is the role of the teacher to create a healthy, supportive, safe and secure learning environment in which students are not judged, and are encouraged. Recognition of achievements and encouragement are important motivators in the learning process.  Teachers conveying their passion and enthusiasm for music can pass this feeling on to their students, resulting in self -motivation. 

Within the school environment, an important motivator for students can be a school ensemble - giving a sense of pride, achievement, acceptance and belonging, and providing a fun side to music with special treatment such as tours and concerts.  Enjoyment is the key to motivation.  Playing music must be enjoyed otherwise there is no reason to be self-motivated to want to learn.

The Teacher:

The extent to which a student can be motivated depends largely on the teacher.  The teaching style, level of energy and enthusiasm, and the amount of encouragement given are important factors in maintaining student motivation. 

If the learning process is too difficult, boring, diffuse and ill organized, or irrelevant to student's needs and interests, the student will not be motivated.  A lack of motivation results in the lack of urge to work independently and students will only apply themselves if external pressures are exerted.

The amount of attention given is also important – all students like attention.  Some students will try to gain a teacher's attention either positively or negatively, whichever way is the quickest.  The teacher should ensure that it is easier for students to gain positive attention. 

It is important to always consider the feelings of the students.  Students need to know that you care – a student will do almost anything for a teacher they like and respect.  Each student is unique, an individual whose thoughts and feelings extend beyond the lesson environment. 

How students can be taught and motivated depends largely on their own concepts and perception of themselves.  A student needs to be taught with sensitivity to the student's perception of themselves, and it is very important to believe in a student's abilities.

Often a teacher can be so concerned with the music that a devastating comment can be made with little thought – there must always be a balance between the desire to achieve a certain musical standard, and the student's psychological and physical needs.  Sometimes a teacher's ego can result in this kind of damaging behavior because their standards are too high. 

The music should be challenging only to the student's standard.  This is achieved by gradually raising the benchmark and establishing new objectives, and making sure that that the students poses the skills to handle the challenge.  The choice of repertoire should also be varied to maintain interest. 

The role of the teacher is to create a healthy learning environment where each student feels safe and secure in the learning process.  The teacher must praise instead of criticize, offering students the chance to fail and immediately try again until the work is mastered. 

In this environment students understand that their performance is not going to be judged, and become encouraged and accept advice more readily.  If students do not feel belittled or attacked, they are able to respond to constructive criticism. The teacher must be an ally, not a threat to ego or dignity.

Perhaps the most crucial aspect of motivating students is encouragement.  It is important as a teacher to develop and maintain a student's motivation, and to recognize and give full recognition of efforts.  A teacher must also be alert to what the student is currently able to achieve, focus on strengths and assets, and communicate solidly the ‘I know you can do it' attitude.

A teacher's own enthusiasm for the subject is how students themselves learn to become enthusiastic. The wonderfully passionate, excited and enthusiastic teacher will always be a huge encouragement for learning. The point at which students are themselves enthusiastic about music is a peak-point where they can become their own teacher, and become self-motivated. 

The Band:

Of course, the most important student motivator can be a band.  In an ensemble, students often feel special, and there is generally a sense of pride amongst the members.  It is human nature to want to belong to someone or something.  But above all young people want to socialize and have fun – performances, tours, competitions, and lots of social activities!

A social activity, say to an amusement park, is definitely a successful motivator. To a ten-year-old, aesthetic achievements are secondary to getting soaked on a water ride.  Being in a band is much more appealing if socialisation is part of the mix.  That same ten-year-old could probably play the Flight of the Bumble Bee backwards if that was the prerequisite to a roller coaster ride!

The idea of enjoying music is crucial to motivation, with or without the presence of a trip to an amusement park.  Children want to have fun and feel successful, they enjoy sharing their experiences with peers and family, they like to experience a variety of experiences and feel that music is their choice. 

Children don't want to feel forced to play, to never improve, to get ridiculed by family and friends, to do the same things over and over again, and to not have a say in the music they play.  There is a serious side to music, but it is more important to have fun and enjoy what you are doing.  It is hard to imagine being motivated to do something that you do not enjoy – especially in childhood.

Conclusion:

Motivation can be fostered and maintained by music teachers and conductors if the correct approach is taken in the process.  With a lot of encouragement and enthusiasm students can feel good about playing music, and feel a sense of pride and achievement.  By striving to create the best learning environment possible, students can feel supported and uninhibited in the creative process. 

The student should be able to enjoy learning music and the band they participate in should foster the fun side of music.  The self-satisfaction and excitement that can be encouraged in a student will inevitably lead to an inner- motivation, resulting in a lifelong love and appreciation of music.  After all, most people love what they perceive they do well.

Veronica Bowman

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