Sometimes you just need to let your students take care of their own education. You can’t keep holding their hand through the learning process and dictating what is right and what is wrong.
This past week, San Antonio Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich shared some words with ESPN regarding his coaching philosophy with the Spurs: let them figure it out.
Famous for his half-time interviews and successful coaching style that have been envied, emulated and sought after by other NBA franchise coaches and management heads for their proven record of , Popovich is one of the few coaches in the NBA to have a consistent track record of franchise excellence in the NBA. As the head coach of the Spurs, Popovich has taken his Spurs to 11 of the team’s 16 division titles, 5 of their 5 conference titles and 4 of their 4 national championships, making Popovich one of the most successful coaches in NBA history among the ranks of Phil Jackson , Pat Riley and Red Auerbach. Even today, the Spurs among the oldest teams in the league with an average age of 28, they currently hold the best record in the league at 46 wins and 16 losses
Moreover, it’s rare to see Popovich, a man of few words, open up candidly about what happens in the huddle let alone what any of his coaching ideologies are, making this recent disclosure a rare insight into the mind of a championship tier coach. Sometimes in the heat of a tight game, he just has nothing to say to his team during a tough game. Sometimes it’s better to let the people who are actually out there playing the game and have been playing the game for years to figure it out and empower them to come to the right decision about what to do.
To think about Popovich’s method and say it out loud, it doesn’t sound particularly amazing or revolutionary, but to much of the NBA it truly is a revelation that does make a great deal of sense. The coach can only do so much both on and off the court and no amount of coaching and preparation can really prepare anyone for the changing tides of an NBA game – especially if there is seed placement on the line. It only makes sense to empower the players – the ones playing the game in real time – to make decisions as they see fit as the need to make them presents themselves.
What Does This Have to Do With Teaching Music?
Popovich’s frankness about having nothing to coach from time to time and instead empowering his players to come to an decision in the heat of game time is a mindset that those teaching music should adopt with their students. A teacher can only teach so much and for so long before they need to allow their student the freedom to make a judgement call themselves – or more aptly – discover how they want to learn and live with music.
Music teachers often fall into the pitfall of micromanaging their student and controlling everything they do, often to the point that it sucks the fun out of music in general. Though management and correction is fine at the correct times and in controlled doses, over management is detrimental to a student. I can’t think of anything that can ruin the morale or the drive to learn faster than constantly being told that your ideas are wrong or invalid or silly.
When Is The Right Time to Let Go?
Beyond a certain point, teachers need to learn to let go of their students when the time is right. When is that time? Only the teacher can know for sure, not some guy writing for the Internet (pic). But the big takeaway is not to become that teacher who stifles talent, growth or talent but to be the one who is solely responsible for making it flourish in students and bring out the enjoyment of the instrument.
Popovich has made a huge name for himself in the NBA. Check out this video to learn more about his influence and how he brings the best out of his players.
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