Exactly like any other field of knowledge, the quality of the music learning process depends largely on the role of the teacher. Elements such as stimuli, information, tips, the technique of the instrument, general musical knowledge, the cultivation of aesthetic criterion, the opening-up of the thirsty spirit and its redirection towards wealthier sources, the love and devotion to music, the call to the inner quest for self-knowledge and liberation along with the inspiration that the student seeks, are highly necessary for music guidance, which needs to be provided selflessly by the music teacher.
In jazz music, all the above become even more necessary and urgent since the personality, aesthetic, and spiritual growth of each musician are catalytic elements for the value of their musical entity and artistic creation. Having thus identified the main features that the path to music knowledge should contain and assessed the enormous contribution and importance of the teacher-mentor, let’s look at how one finds the “appropriate teacher”.
As we’ve said before… «In the beginning, there was sound» (you can read the related article on sound); therefore, the first thing we perceive when we hear a musical instrument is always its sound. The dominant element that should lead the student towards the appropriate teacher is obviously the sound of the instrument of the particular teacher, and in the case of jazz singing, it is the sound of their singing voice.
The first and quite infallible criterion is the identification of the student with the sound of their teacher. Out of pure instinct and without any musical knowledge or developed evaluative criteria, the learner is largely able to perceive the effortless sound in a voice. Learning to sing properly is a complex process that relies enormously on imitation. So it is very easy to realize how «vulnerable» the students can be regarding the information perceived by their ears. Therefore, the teacher must have an open, clear, flexible, and dynamic sound because it’s the only way to ensure that the auditory stimulus, which the student will be called to imitate, will, technique-wise, be the most beneficial for the student’s own vocal development and growth.
A second criterion that students should keep in mind while they search for a music tutor is the teacher’s training method and experience. It is important for the young singer’s evolution to gain knowledge (technical, musical, etc) from a methodical teacher who has the inventiveness to transmit it most effectively. And of course, it is essential for the student to be inspired by the teacher-mentor. Therefore, it is highly necessary that the teacher can actually do (in practice) everything that they teach in theory. In plain words, it should not be acceptable for someone to teach jazz vocal improvisation, scat singing, etc, without demonstrating all this information by actually… improvising.
And the third and last criterion, which is directly connected to the previous one, is the presence of the teacher on stage – in this case, the jazz scene. Especially in jazz music, which is constantly evolving, the teacher should be active, playing this music, practicing, and continuously evolving to meet the constant demands and challenges, both as a teacher and as a performer.
The role of the teacher is to guide the student towards the knowledge and skills that will help him/her develop into a complete musical personality with confidence, maturity, and openness. To instill values, aesthetics, and sincerity to the student, in order for him/her to become an authentic musician with self-awareness, who appreciates the virtues of other musicians (and his/her own, of course) and enjoys playing music with his/her colleagues. Above all, what the teacher must transmit to the student is the selfless love for music.