"Mrs. Carr, can we play this game today?" "Mrs. Carr, I've got an EVEN BETTER GAME!" "Mrs. Carr, do you have paper?" "Mrs. Carr, can I show you 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'?"
Part of me feels overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. In the past, I would have labelled this behaviour as annoying, thinking it disrupted the lesson flow.
I always have a plan in my head, forgetting that the pair of five-year-olds in front of me, with their big Disney eyes and wide smiles, had their own agendas.
It's okay to say no to these little ones—you can do it kindly by setting boundaries and structure in the lesson or giving them choices like, "That's a great idea! Let's do this first, and then we'll try your idea." But is that enough to embrace their true creativity?
By the time we reach 25, we are significantly less creative, playful, and more serious compared to our childhood years.
A study by George Land and Beth Jarman highlights this decline in creativity. Their study, originally conducted for NASA, revealed that 98% of 5-year-olds tested as creative geniuses, but this figure dropped dramatically as they aged: only 30% of 10-year-olds, 12% of 15-year-olds, and a mere 2% of adults retained this level of creativity.
This decline in creativity and playfulness is due to various factors like formal education, societal expectations, and the increasing responsibilities of adulthood.
As adults, we often become more rigid, focussing on productivity and efficiency rather than exploration and play.
By challenging ourselves to unlearn this rigidity, we can rekindle our creativity and bring a more balanced, joyful approach to lessons.
And this way, we can better connect with the spontaneous, creative energy of our students, making our teaching more engaging and fun for everyone involved.
Out comes the bag of silk rainbow dancers' scarves and the writing pads. As I tune up their two violins, these lovelies start their free play. It is the BEST 5 minutes invested in the lessons because they start noticeably calming and regulating.
They are engrossed in doing more or less whatever they like with these scarves and often dress up in them, tying them around their shoulders or waists, in their hair, and often on their violins. They love decorating their violins with them.
The rigid adult in me screams silently about time being wasted... but seeing how they are bonding with one another and their instruments tells me a completely different story.
While they're playing without any adult-led work, I will sit at my violin and either improvise based on their mood or play one of their pieces on my violin or piano and gently hum and sing it. This becomes a musical cue and often, by this point, at least one of them will want to join in, usually leading their friend to do the same.
Seeing how these young students bond with each other and their instruments through free play has been a revelation. It reminds me that embracing their creativity and natural curiosity is crucial.
By allowing a little unstructured time, we can create a more engaging and joyful learning environment.
As violin teachers, let's challenge ourselves to be flexible and open-minded, recognising that sometimes the best lessons come from letting go of rigid plans and allowing children to lead with their creativity. Here are some simple ideas to get started:
Incorporate Free Play: Allow a few minutes at the start of each lesson for free play with scarves, toys, or even their instruments.
Musical Cues: Use your instrument to gently guide the transition from free play to structured activities.
Student Choices: Give students choices within the lesson, such as which piece to play first or what game to include.
By doing so, we can foster a deeper love for music and learning in our students, helping them retain their innate creativity and enthusiasm.
After all, it's not just about teaching them to play the violin—it's about nurturing their overall growth and joy in the process.
For more ideas and a deeper dive into this approach, check out the process-inspired mini-course in the Stringosaurus Hub. Let's inspire and be inspired together!
Let me know your thoughts???
Warmest regards,
Laura
PS... Hope you're enjoying your new Discovering Vibration, Pretend to be a String play-along video... my kiddos have been loving it this week.
