Image by Jose R. Cabello from Pixabay
How did you do? When asked after a performance, a student’s response can inform me about what they hear or do not hear. Responses as in perfect, great, exceptional are not the norm, usually. Sometimes this is because they assume you are asking because there is a problem. Typical responds are ok, not so good, or fine, but usually with some kind of pause as they reflect for a moment. If they respond, “I don’t know” or just “Ok,” I will ask them to play it again and see if they can improve their performance. Afterwards, once again I will ask how they did. If things improve and they say better, I will suggest they play once again if it is not exceptional. Are they able to continue to improve with each repetition?
Another question I might ask, especially if they are hesitant in a response is “Where are the problems in your performance?” Are they aware of where and what the issues are? Is their assessment a true reflection of the performance? If they are not aware of issues, I start asking random questions such as, “Did you observe the dynamics?” or “Did you remember the repeats?” If they respond with “I don’t know?” I ask them to play again, but only in areas of performance that were an issue and ask them to observe the problem(s) overlooked.
As I mentioned, students might assume there is a problem because I asked the question. I offer up the question from time to time when a performance is fine. Asking “How did you do?” encourages them to think while performing.