About

This IVMT Commission encompasses all aspects of instrumental and vocal teaching and learning that may take place in the home or school, on a one-to-one or small group basis. This is of particular interest to the studio or peripatetic teacher who often works in isolation.

Areas covered are: methods, motivation, personal relationships between teacher and pupil, the role of examinations and competitions, the physiological and psychological needs of musicians including coping with performance anxiety, stage fright, stage presentation, assessment, small group teaching, teaching adult beginners, teaching students with disabilities, the all-round development of the performer, and verbal and non-verbal communication between teacher and pupil.

This commission does not cover the training of choral and instrumental groups as such, but rather emphasises the “how to learn an instrument/voice” aspect of music education.

Mission

The Commission views the opportunity for all persons, young and old, to learn an instrument or to sing, as an enrichment of the quality of life. It holds as a central value the dignity of the profession of instrumental and vocal music teaching. It is designed to reflect equally the general areas of individualized or group instruction in keyboard, wind, string and percussion instruments, and voice.

Aim

The aim of the Commission is to:

• Investigate methods and practices of teaching instrumental or vocal students in the diverse contexts of global music making
• Explore and discuss the most recent relevant research that could assist instrumental/vocal teachers

To these ends it seeks to enter into dialogue with instrumental and vocal teachers with a view to:

• Celebrating and promoting the profession of the instrumental and vocal teacher
• Championing the rights of all to quality instrumental/vocal training
• Promoting recognition of the unique value of the instrumental/vocal teaching profession within the local and national community
• Advocating for greater governmental appreciation, recognition and support for the value of music teaching and learning to the well-being of citizens.
• Recognising the many methods and processes used by teachers in various societies and cultures;
• Encouraging the development of innovative approaches to beginning instruction for children and adult learners;
• Providing an international perspective on common issues within instrumental and vocal music teaching and learning;
• Providing a focus on arts medicine as it relates to attending to the physiological and psychological needs of musicians, keeping students injury-free, helping them to develop and efficient technique, manage and recover from playing-related or non-playing-related injuries and discover strategies for coping with performance anxiety;
• Embracing research into all aspects of the instrumental/vocal teaching profession, including performance and the effect of ability on social attitudes and personal intellectual capacities, and disseminating the findings to instrumental/vocal teaching bodies locally, nationally and internationally;
• Serving as liaison between professional groups of instrumental/vocal teachers;
• Defining and exploring potential overlapping content and subject matter areas, and embracing that overlap in formal collaborative activities with ISME Commissions during Commission seminars and world conference meetings; and
• Facilitating the exchange of information on the practice, professional development, methodology and available resources of the instrumental and vocal teacher;
• Promoting ethical principles for teaching and learning relationships which establish a culture of mutual respect between teachers and learners.

Activity

The Commission achieves its mission by holding a seminar before each ISME world conference and communication through a Facebook group.

Commissioners

The Commissioners for the 2022-2024 biennium are:

• Dr. Yiannis Miralis, Cyprus (Co-Chair)
• Dr. Jaccard Sylvian, Switzerland (Co-Chair)
• Dr. Bridget Sweet, USA
• Dr. Leon de Bruin, Australia
• Dr. Bridget Rennie-Salonen, South Africa)
• Dr. Charulatha Mani, India/USA

Contact

Please click here to contact the Commission Co-Chairs, Yiannis Miralis or Jaccard Sylvain 

Join the Facebook group. You don't have to be an ISME member to join.