Vocalist.org archive


From:  Greypins@a...
Greypins@a...
Date:  Sat Aug 4, 2001  4:41 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] When to throw in the towel. (on being your own voice-teacher)


dre,

i have been teaching myself for the last thirteen years (best teacher i
ever had). what i have found, comparing teaching myself to being taught by
someone else, is similar to newt gingrich's distinction between
entrepreneurial learning vs. credentialed learning. gingrich (nobody's
totally worthless) points out that credentialed learning assigns a body of
information to be acquired and that acquisition tested. upon passing the
test, the credentials are earned by that student. in entrpreneurial
learning, the student has a vision and not knowledge is sought after for the
purpose of solving specific problems and achieving goals.

in credentialed learning, the acquisition of knowledge is the goal. the
application of that knowedge, it is assumed, comes later. in
entrepreneurial learning, knowledge is a means to an end. the problem with
the former being that the information may never apply to the stuations that
student may come across. the problem with the latter, is the answers this
student seeks may lie in the most basic of credentialed studies but, may be
missed by someone who is looking only nearby for the quickest solution.

ideally, i think the role of teacher shoul be as consultant, leaving the
student ultimately responsible for decision making. the student decides
what is to be done and how it should come out and the teacher provides
various approaches that can be taken to achieve those goals as well as
pointing out unknown factors.

those of us who claim to teach themselves are not on a deserted island
using trial and error to learn. we borrow from wherever we can to get our
answers. what is ours is what we decide to do with that information and, in
a slightly more restrictive manner, those with teachers, can make the same
claim.

mike

emusic.com