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Ask the Teacher - Pierre Bensaid

2020-02-13T10:30:00

bensaid

The Nice-based violin pedagogue shares his advice on helping students deal with nerves and find their own voice

Who are your students?

My pupils range from beginners aged six to advanced young adults aged around twenty-one, all studying at the Nice Conservatoire.

What are your teaching philosophies?

For me, teaching is about getting to know a person, growing with them and eventually letting them go without expecting anything in return – like parents try to do with their children. In terms of methods, I believe that the ideas you find yourself will stay with you forever. There are, of course, plenty of trade secrets passed on from generation to generation that you shouldn’t ignore, but they should be treated as a springboard for finding your own way of doing things and be adapted to each student.

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