Patrick Feely Ph.D.
Guitarist - Educator - Researcher
About Dr. Patrick Feely
Patrick has distinguished himself as a leading performer, educator, and researcher in the music education field. He currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Music at Western University in London, Ontario, where he teaches guitar courses to both pre-service music educators and non-music majors. Patrick has had the privilege of sharing his expertise with numerous esteemed institutions and organizations, including:
Solo Appearances
Sauble Beach Guitar Festival
Visiting Artists Series at McMaster University
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune, India
Performances with Orchestras
Grand River Players
Brantford Chambers Players Orchestra - Joaquín Rodrigo's "Fantasía para un Gentilhombre"
McMaster University Orchestra. - Manuel Ponce's "Concerto del Sur" with the
Chamber Music Performances
Across Canada with Dr. Brad Mahon as "The East West Guitar Duo"
With daughter Emilee Feely as "Duo Feely"
Adjudicated Competitions and Juries
Developing Artists Grants Competition at the Hynatyshyn Foundation
Vancouver North Shore Festival
University of Toronto undergraduate and graduate guitar juries
Barrie Kiwanis
Montreal International Guitar Festival, Youth Division,
Buffalo International Guitar Festival
Toronto Kiwanis
London K. W. Kiwanis
Guitar Examiner
Royal Conservatory of Music: Administering guitar examinations to candidates from preparatory to Diploma level (ARCT) across North America.
Artistic Director and Conductor of Community Orchestras program
Guitar Society of Brantford
Sauble Beach Guitar Festival
Guitar Congress University of Toronto
Student Achievement
Patricks' students have been accepted into Graduate and Undergraduate university performance programs across Canada and Europe
Philosophy of Music Education
I believe that individuals should be involved in independent music making throughout the course of their life and that they should have a say in the choice of music that they study. Music educators can foster and support this voice through the following 6 aspects.
Motivation
Voice in the Choice
I allow students a voice in the choice of repertoire being studied. I also place a priority on the development of expressive gesture from the first lesson. In my experience, incorporating these two aspects into the teaching environment draws on the intrinsic motivation of students
Method
Choose Appropriate Strategies
I have students shadow me as I go through the processes of identifying problem areas in their playing and as we chose appropriate strategies to develop those areas. Over time, as the student gains understanding and skills, I gradually remove myself from the process; in this way students learn to become self-sufficient musical problem solvers.
Time Management
Track Their Practice
I ask students to keep a practice journal when practicing. I find that when students track their development and practice time, they begin to take ownership of their learning and become more self-regulated learners as a result.
Behavior
Develop Students Meta-Cognitive Skills
I attempt to encourage and develop students’ meta-cognitive skills, including self-monitoring, self-assessment and self-teaching. I do this through the Socratic method - I engage students by asking questions that require generative answers. I ask questions such as, “In the passage that you played are there any problem areas that need developing?” What methods might you use to correct these problem areas?” “Did your method produce the desired change in the problem area?” The goal in this area is to develop critical thinking skills within the student.
Physical Environment
Supportive Surroundings
I ask students to practice in a quiet well-lit space with an appropriate chair, footrest, music stand, pencil and note pad, and if possible a Smartphone for tuning the instrument, using as a metronome, video recording, and for accessing resources such as YouTube, blogs and tutorials. At home I encourage students to keep their guitar on a music stand - not in their guitar case - for ease of access.
Social Factors
Peer-Learning and Instruction
I encourage students participate in guitar orchestra programs. Students learn in social environments from their peers and from the opportunity to teach those peers. Within a supportive group setting students also learn to reach out to knowledgeable others when they lack understanding.
Education
Topics About Teaching Guitar
Does music teaching carry moral implications and obligations?
Make the Most of Your Time
There are several prominent 20th century thinkers who espouse moral philosophies of education. The French developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, and the Russian social psychologist Lev Vygotsky, figure predominantly among these thinkers. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) identified three possible states of learning readiness: (1) activities or knowledge that a student possesses or has mastered (2) activities or knowledge that a student could learn only with the help of an experienced peer or teacher; and (3) activities or knowledge that are outside the student’s grasp. Learning cannot take place when the student has already mastered the task. This is self-evident – they already possess the necessary skills and will become bored. Learning cannot take place when the to-be learned task is too difficult for the students to accomplish on their own – they will become frustrated. In between these extremes lies a sweet spot – the Zone of Proximal Development, or ZPD. In this zone, learning can take place with the aid of an experienced othe
Community Guitar Orchestras
Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Intergenerational Dynamics
I began teaching duos, trio, and quartets about a decade ago within my private guitar studio. I did this to create a supportive social environment where students could learn from and get to know one another, to help students become better readers, and to provide a lower pressure performance experience. These groups evolved over time into several larger ensembles. In an effort to make the ensembles more accessible to the broader community, they were integrated into the programming of the Guitar Society of Brantford in 2011.
Tia DeNora and the Power of Music
An Excerpt From My Previous Blog
One way of integrating DeNoras ideas would be by envisioning the process of music education as a means to an end. This model would be student-centered; more egalitarian in nature. It would also be focused on practical music making within the community and how students use music in their everyday lives. This model would place significant challenges on the educator; requiring them to adjust their curriculum for each student. Some educators may rise to this challenge, while others may feel inadequate or overwhelmed, depending on the range of repertoire. The guitar, for instance, has a 500-year history that straddles two parallel universes – one in the pub, the other in the royal court. No other instrument has such a wide range of styles and genres. In England alone, the repertoire spans from the high Renaissance lute songs of John Dowland to the punk rock anthems of the Sex Pistols. A typical guitar student might come to a lesson intending to learn the latest Metallica tune from tablature, or how to improvise over blues and jazz progressions; they may want to “hum and strum” folk songs, learn flamenco dance rhythms, or even play a Bach fugue. To more closely align with Denora’s theory, I have changed pedagogical directions in my studio by focusing on the musical ethnography of my students. One student may request help learning “cover songs”, because they are in a rock band. I show how to transpose chords to another student because the choir they lead on Sunday morning cannot sing in the prescribed key. These two instances show why it is important to teach with human-music interaction in mind. Giving appropriate musical tools to student’s enables them to be more in control of their individual musical settings. These students are aware of the powers of music, and freely allow the music to control and shape elements of their everyday lives. They consciously engage in musical participation in a way that is self-directed and enhances their everyday lives - socially, emotionally, and musically.
