My Biggest Teaching Breakthrough at NSMS

We would like to thank Ansel Mapp for this insightful article on The New School for Music Study’s Postgraduate Teaching Program. Want to learn more about the Postgraduate Teaching Program? Learn more and apply by clicking here.

Teaching at NSMS has been a thoroughly enriching experience. There have been many wonderful teaching moments, and I have learned so much through my experiences at NSMS. My biggest breakthrough teaching at NSMS is an all important quote that I have applied throughout all of my lessons, and that is: “teaching is not telling”. One misconception I had before coming to NSMS was that my foremost job as a teacher was to guide students to play the piano through my words. Of course as a teacher I could model occasionally for the student, but I believed my main tool for teaching was words. After taking part in the postgraduate teaching program, I now have a variety of tools which I can use to be an effective teacher and not simply telling a student how to play.

One way the saying “teaching is not telling” bears out is in the importance of modeling good playing for students. You can describe the accurate way to play or phrase a melody, but what better way for students to learn how to play than to listen to their wonderful teacher? “Teaching is not telling” also helps me find creative and fun ways to disseminate information. Rather than just telling a student, “play this passage softer” I can make them an active participant in their musical experience by asking them guided questions that make them critically evaluate the character of the music they are playing. Simply asking a question like, “should a piece called Rocket Ship be loud or soft?” allows students to be more engaged than saying “play louder” and works even with young beginners.

If teaching is not telling, then what is teaching? Another aspect of teaching is cultivating ownership. In one of my lessons, I have a student who routinely does not practice. Rather than accost the student constantly, I’ve found it more helpful to create a practice routine in the lessons themselves. This routine starts with a checklist of note-reading, rhythm work, and identifying intervals all before the student plays a piece. For note-reading, I’ll give the student a whiteboard and allow them to find notes using landmark pitches as a reference. The important part of this process is to let the student make their mistakes, letting them know they are close to the correct answer. For rhythm work, I ask a student for the time signature of the piece and have them mark the quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, etc. with different shapes. Then, I have the student tap the rhythm. I follow a similar process for having the student identify intervals, having them mark seconds, thirds, fourths and fifths on the page. This process is completely different from telling the student “this piece is in 3/4 time, watch out for the seconds and thirds”, and gives the student ownership of their creative process.

Another large part of teaching that is not “telling” is building rapport with students. If a student trusts you, they are more likely to follow instruction and actualize their musical potential. Inquiry and leading with curiosity goes a long way with students. Asking questions about how a student is doing and what their favorite music of the moment is has been very helpful for me to build a relationship with them. This relationship is important because when the musical work gets challenging, the students will ultimately trust you have their best interest at heart.

Teaching is so much more than telling. From modeling good playing to asking pointed questions, and cultivating ownership and building rapport, there are many more aspects of teaching than simply using words. As I’ve taught at NSMS I’ve grown my teaching toolbox to incorporate these techniques and more, and it has been a marvelous breakthrough in my teaching.

Interested in applying to the NSMS Postgraduate Teaching Program? Applications are due on April 17, 2026. Learn more and apply now by clicking here.

Ansel Mapp holds a Master of Music in Piano Performance from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he studied with Dr. Min Kwon, and a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Music and Philosophy from Baylor University, where he studied with Dr. Terry Lynn Hudson. He is currently enrolled in the postgraduate teaching program and serves on the faculty at NSMS, where he is committed to cultivating thoughtful, engaged musicians through curiosity, creativity, and active learning.