Teaching amateur musicians

Teaching amateur musicians

Amateur. The word means 'for the love of it' and for amateur musicians their passion for music is a lot like a love affair. Whether they take lessons, sing in choirs, play in orchestras or study chamber music, theirs is a lifelong commitment to music. And they are eager to learn more.

This is where you, the well-trained professional musician, come in. You may already have adults among your own private pupils, but you may not know about a whole other sphere of amateur music-making: workshops, courses and summer schools.

Every summer, hundreds of amateur musicians head for these workshops, often located in an attractive rural setting, where they study and perform music in depth. They are typically tutored or 'coached' by professional musicians for anywhere from one to six hours a day. They may or may not perform for other workshop participants and their coaches, too, may get a chance to perform. The format and the expectations of the workshops vary widely and there are several that take place outside of the summer months.

One of the largest and oldest summer programmes in the UK is the five-week Dartington International Summer School in Devon, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. This school happily mixes amateurs with young music students. 'We see everyone in the same light, all united through love of music. Amateurs are not treated more gingerly,' explains Maisie Hunt, the school's administrator. Participants sing in a choir or play in an orchestra in the morning session and then attend masterclasses and have individual or group tuition in the afternoon. Masterclasses are given by the likes of Emma Kirkby and Piotr Anderszewski, while a diverse faculty of established and up-and-coming musicians provides the daily tutoring.

'We see everyone in the same light, all united through love of music

Across the pond, the US music workshop scene is large and well established. Possibly because many US workshops were set up by amateur players themselves, the daily routine tends to be more prescribed. Schedules and repertoire are often determined before the workshop starts. Perhaps because of the limited American holiday allowance or perhaps because so many amateurs are high-powered professionals in their daily lives, there's an impatience with coaches who don't make efficient use of the players' time. 'Not every professional musician can be an effective coach of amateurs,' comments Dan Nimetz, executive director of Amateur Chamber Music Players (ACMP).

The Manhattan String Quartet is one professional ensemble that has put amateur coaching to the forefront of its activities. Every year the quartet runs three week-long chamber music workshops in the US, as well a workshop in a European city. The repertoire they choose is demanding (Beethoven's String Quartet Op 131 or Shostakovich's String Quartet No 7, for example), which may filter out less advanced players - and those who aren't willing to prepare a work in advance. 'We're fairly hardcore,' says the quartet's violist John Dexter. 'People take vacation time to do this, and it's fun, but it's no fun if someone can't do it.'

The Manhattan Quartet's workshops attract more skilled players, but there are programmes that cater to beginners and intermediates. Musical ability among amateur workshop participants ranges from violinists who have only just put bow on string or singers studying their first solo aria to highly skilled musicians who, but for a career detour, might have been professionals themselves. As a tutor of non-professionals, it's important to understand the extent of your students' abilities, but also the extent of their ambitions.

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