Duke - Precision in Language and Thought 

"Teaching" is not enough, therefore it is important for teachers to not only explain, but 
provide students with examples, and allow students to "do." Less talk, do more is one of 
the most important concepts from this chapter, because we learn that teaching and 
learning is not always directly linked- students need to apply and understand what they 
learn.  

In order for this to happen, teachers must think deeply and systematically. Articulating 
who you are as a teacher in terms of what you do, and clarifying your language is so 
important in teaching so that students know exactly what they should be doing to succeed 
in your class. self awareness can help you become a better teacher. 

likewise, this art takes a long time to master. teaching is a skill based on experience, aka 
there is no mathematical equation to become a good teacher. over time, teachers develop 
a "bag of tricks" that helps them adjust themselves to every type of student. teachers also 
learn how to deal with the unexpected, all over time. 

Duke - What to Teach   

In chapter 2 of intelligent music teaching, robert Duke discusses the differences between 
procedural versus Declarative knowledge, and the importance of teaching efficiently so 
that students can know how to do something rather than “what” to do. Declarative 
knowledge, which focuses on the simple idea of learning the facts, while procedural 
knowledge emphasizes expressiveness. Duke wants students to not memorize facts, but 
rather become knowledgeable about the subject. He believes that students can play 
beautifully at all skill levels. Duke emphasizes these two ideas about knowledge by 
focusing on how to teach in order for students to develop this level of skill. He wants 
teachers to be specific about how they teach- they need to be careful about how they 
introduce concepts so that they can get the best possible results out of their students. He 
wants students to be able to build a certain level of automaticity through consistent, 
deliberate practice time as a result of a good teacher’s instruction. He believes that 
refining skills is a complex thing to do, with lots of variables. Therefore, understanding 
those variable’s relationships and turning it into an organized process, and carrying it out 
with precision will lead to success for both students and teachers.In summary, Duke wants 
teachers and students to DO more. He wants to make a clear distinction between knowing 
and doing. Students should understand that music is more than notes and rhythm, and 
should be able to become aware of musicality. He emphasizes that developing skills of a 
successful musician should be nurtured at every level. 

Duke - Sequencing Instruction 

It is important to not over explain as a teacher, rather, we need to focus on what is 
currently relevant to the classroom and students. Likewise, we can accomplish this by 
Informing students on a need to know basis. Duke emphasizes mistakes as an opportunity 
to grow as a musician:He asks readers, when a student makes a mistake- how important is 
that mistake? How long will it take to fix is it? Is it a major or minor problem? I.e tone 
versus fingering. He wants teachers to move forward in a piece and loop backwards when 
mistakes are made, using the phrase inching forward and leaping back. Leaping back 
reduces the chance of frustrating and confusing a student. It is extremely crucial to make 
things simple and then build off of that. When we diagnose and fix a problem, we need to 
break it down as small as possible. Repetition is also key to building habit strength. Having 
a good foundation, and making good technique “automatic” is so important. Sometimes 
teachers give credit to students when credit isn't due- therefore we need to make sure the 
fundamentals are down. When starting beginners, it is important to make the second 
lesson exact same as your first lesson, in order to reinforce what they have already 
learned. Over time, the time period to learn things gets smaller because fundamentals are 
down. Teachers can make you feel really successful, but teachers can also over challenge 
and make you feel like a failure. Is important to keep things simple and clear for students 
so that they have the right path to success. 
 
Duke - Feedback 
Duke introduces feedback as a powerful tool, one that can make or break a 
student.Likewise, Duke encourages teachers to make sure that their feedback is well 
thought out. Feedback needs to be intentional, and not too general. “Good” is not enough- 
we need to be able to help students figure out exactly what they need to do to be 
successful. Criticism needs to occur. Likewise, criticism needs to be concise as well. If we 
dwell on something too long, or try to drown out a criticism with compliments it can fog 
the effectiveness. Feedback can be intentional or unintentional, as almost everything we 
do as a teacher displays some sort of feedback. It is important that we use feedback 
wisely- Teachers can build students up and help them succeed, but they can also make 
them feel bad. Feedback functions differently for every student. In an ideal world, 
feedback conveys information and influences behavior.​ ​The fact that feedback habits 
become routine can become dangerous, however, as duke gives the example of a teacher 
stopping a student after every mistake. This feedback can become associated with making 
mistakes in performance, and a bad habit becomes set in stone. As teachers, we must pay 
close attention to how we give feedback and the effects it has on our students. Duke notes 
that the teacher isn’t always the one giving the feedback- there are so many sources of 
feedback. Lastly, he divides feedback into two parts- feedback from a broad sense as any 
information we receive, and feedback as it is commonly understood with regard to 
teaching. 
 
Duke - Assessment 
It is important to teach with intention- Duke emphasizes that teachers should always 
think about how they will know students have learned what you have taught. Teachers 
must think about assessment before teaching occurs in order to be an effective instructor. 
While assessment is important, Duke makes sure to differentiate assessment from grades. 
He warns that students can often become addicted to the grade or what is going to be on a 
test, and thus grades can often become a barrier to learning. Duke explains that it skews 
perceptions of what is important, because it often assess knowledge in “disconnected bits” 
and does not assess whether a learner can actually apply what they know. He wants to 
steer students away from a remember and reproduce mentality. To counteract this, Duke 
offers the advice of varying your assessment/ data collection in a way that encourages 
learning. Duke simply wants teachers to be able to find out what students know. He 
explains this as a continuous process, and wants teachers to be aware in the classroom. 
Duke also speaks for the student, saying that students are always taking in information 
and interpreting data. Since students’ interpretations vary, it is important to give students 
the opportunity to show that they understand that information. Students need to 
generate ideas about concepts on their own, and it is important to not be too controlling 
as a teacher over interpretation. Lastly, it is also important to teach students how to 
practice, and to emphasize the importance of it. 

 
Duke - Transfer   
Transfer is defined by the application of previous knowledge. All of our learning 
experiences are influenced in one way or another by our previous experience. The extent 
to which a learner applies what they already know depends on the learner. Duke 
emphasizes the importance of transfer by using the example of a pilot-Mistakes that are 
high risk must be minimized by having opportunities to practice their skill. Duke makes 
readers aware that even though some transfer is important (like knowing how to fly a 
plane), other forms of transfer haven't been tested as much,such as in the traditional 
public school- reminding us that we "assume what will be meaningful in the future"Duke 
wants educators to think about how what they teach will be valuable to their students in 
the future, also reminding us that transfer is not automatic, so we must encourage our 
students to apply their knowledge and to think critically. Duke addresses music as a skill 
that is almost entirely transfer-based, Meaning that students build on the same 
knowledge over time. This is only possible through practice. As a teacher, you must create 
an environment that promotes healthy learning/transfer. Lastly, duke reminds teachers to 
be careful with forming negative habits in students- transfer can be negative and stay with 
a student.