Reflection: First Clarinet Lesson

In my last Secondary Methods class I was tasked with conducting the first five minutes of a 5th grade student's first ever clarinet lesson.  Since fifth graders tend to have rather short attention spans, my goal was to have my test student (Prof. Schneider) attempt to blow into the mouthpiece precisely at the 5 minute mark.  In that context, my test lesson was a success.

Not only did I want him to blow into his instrument at the five minute mark, but I wanted him to fail to make a good sound.  I purposely did not go into detail about breath support or embouchure before having my student blow into his mouthpiece.  I wanted my student to explore, experiment, and inevitably fail so that I could really stress the importance of breath support and embouchure during the ensuing five minutes.  I believe that mistakes are great learning opportunities. I would like to create a learning environment where students feel comfortable experimenting, pushing their limits, and making GOOD mistakes that are not related to lack of practice.  During a student's first few years of study, It is my responsibility to recognize and correct those good mistakes.  However, there comes a point where the student must be the one responsible for their own mistakes and must know how to correct themselves on their own.  The ability to recognize and correct one's own mistakes is what often separates a good musician from a great musician.