Dear Ingo, et al, Never throw anything away if it might be useful.
NOTE: Sometimes what we think of as "useful" can change as we gain more knowledge and experience.
Document, document, document. Documentation is essential if you want to use that data to its maximum benefit. You may find that if you listen to each tape and make a list of everything that it addressed during each lesson, that deciding which tapes to keep may be less daunting. If it's a tape of a productive lesson during which you solved a problem, especially one that you might encounter again, keep it for heaven's sake! At the very least, extract the portions of the lessons that you find most valuable and place them on a master recording, preferrably a CD. Take your time and be careful. Some of the sessions you might think were the worst might have taught you the most.
I have a friend who studied with the same teacher I did (Everett Anderson) at USF, Tampa (Hey Rosie!). She has amassed a collection of tapes from quite a few of his former students from as long ago as 1976. I find that there is more to learn from those few I've heard several years ago, than there was when I studied with him.
I listen from a teacher's AND a student's perspective now. Back then, all I wanted to do was perform. I never dreamed I'd actually love to teach. I am trying to see what I can learn from his sessions in order to be just a fraction of as good a teacher as those tapes remind me he was.
If nothing else, extract the best parts of each lesson. Make sure you make detailed labels for each tape that locates and specifies exactly what happened and exactly when in each lesson. I promise you'll get more out of your lessons and you'll learn some very valuable documentation skills in the bargain. You payed good money for those lessons so be sure to get every penny's worth from them you can. The best of luck to you. Regards, Les
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