It’s the end of May and also the midpoint of my studies at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. This last spring semester has been - to put it lightly - an interesting one. Moving to a completely work from home system has had its share of benefits and issues. In terms of personal growth as a pedagogue I feel that my teaching material has improved a lot and online latency has made me more systematic and calm with my teaching. Online teaching has also its downsides as well. The latency voids any capability of playing the instrument together simultaneously with my students and also correcting posture and technique related issues are harder without a clear view of the player in hand.
As a pianist, a keyboardist and a musician looking back two years, my development is clear. The long term growth is much easier to see than the short term one in hindsight. That mindset should also be applied when planning for the future. I have learned myself about block chords, upper structures, drop 2 voicings and lower interval limits just to name a few. My sense of rhythm and pitch has improved also with a sharper ear for timbral balances.
Metropolia has been a mixed bag with in terms of course quality. Some teachers are highly qualified professionals with a passion for teaching but some are less passionate about teaching and it shows in the prepared course material and non-systematic lecture plans. As a person studying pedagogy it is vital to observe and study my own teachers as well as I reflect on my own teaching. One needs to knowingly build its own teaching philosophy based on the good and bad previous experiences.
I have been forced to get out of my comfort zone but it is the only way for self-improvement. Playing certain genres or doing novel things is uncomfortable but very vital. Unfortunately my mid-study piano exams were moved to the following fall. I get to practice my parts more but will be lacking band rehearsals. The repertoire I am required play includes two jazz tunes before and after the 1950’s, two latin tunes (preferably one cuban and one brazilian), two pop, rock and r&b songs, two traditional dance songs and two solo piano pieces so that would be 12 in total. I have selected all the pieces so I just need to practice them for the next three months.
Overall I would rate my experience at Metropolia to be a positive one but not completely. The indoor air issue has been a problem for years and with myself being exposed to it for the past four years I do feel its impact. The equipment quality in the facility have a high variance from pristine grand pianos to sticky and worn out dated mid to low range keyboards from 20 to 30 years past. Some courses are incoherent messes and some are clear and concise. In a rating from one to ten I would give Metropolia a seven in my books however I do recognize that study experiences are very personal and are affect by demands and expectations.