Coaching Students in the Creative Process

Side Coaching: Supporting Students Through Experimentation and Practice

Side coaching is when you give students simple prompts as they work on their art (read about the "Students-at-Work" structure embedded in studio learning experiences). Side coaching can occur when students are working through a creative process, a rehearsal process, or other artistic process. The prompts should be simple suggestions that will improve, challenge, or clarify student's choices as they create and produce their own creative work.

Side coaching includes questions and statements that inspire student's creativity. Positive and specific feedback is always relevant and brings attention to what you would like to see or hear in a student's work. Open-ended questions inspire student's creative exploration.

Side coaching is different from directing. When coaching, you are concerned about the student's performance as an artist. Directing would be appropriate if you were in charge of the artistic direction of the work. Coaching is centered on the student's performance, expression, and vision.

Be careful; some comments can kill creativity. Comments that compare the student's work to others or establish rigid rules can stifle experimentation, and negative comments can erode confidence. Too much praise or attention can also curb the student's further exploration in the process.

What follows are examples of phrases you might hear a studio teacher say while coaching student artists in the creative process. Could you use one of these statements in your classroom today? Or something similar? Try it and see how you can support student creativity with thoughtful coaching and questioning.

Sample Statements for Side Coaching Student Artists

Supporting Student Dance Artists

• "Keep jumping, jump in zig-zag, or circular pathways."
• "Remember, to sustain means to be constantly and smoothly moving."
• "Is that the farthest that your feet can travel? Can your arm reach one more inch?"
• "How many ways can you show me that action on a low level?"
• "Can you add a twist: a high twist, or a low twist?"
• "Face another direction."
• "Is there a moment you really love that would be worth repeating?"
• "What does that movement mean? How could the meaning be more clear?"

Coaching Drama Students

For performers:

• "How can you express this differently with your voice/body? And another way? And another? Which do you like best? Why?"
• "How can you use the space to show what you mean? Can you make all your meaning show in a single gesture?"
• "What is the focus of the scene? What does the character want? Need? Can you show that with words? Without words?" 
• "Who is the focus of the story? How can you support that? Take the focus. Now throw focus to someone else; make the scene about them."
• "Rely only on sounds you make to show the relationships. Now only your body. Make it real.  Be precise. Show us, don't tell us."

For designers:  

• "How does this work support the meaning? Is there something else you can add/or take away? Your goal is to be understood. How is your work communicative?"
• For writers:  
• "Can you make this shorter? Longer? Easier on the actors? Are your words colorful? Are you writing what you mean to say?"
• "What can the actors/designers do better than your words? Can our crew do what you are asking for? Is there another way?”

For writers: 

1. "Can you make this shorter? Longer? Easier on the actors? Are your words colorful? Are you writing what you mean to say?"
2. "What can the actors/designers do better than your words? Can our crew do what you are asking for? Is there another way?”

Side Coaching Students in Literary Arts

• "While you are brainstorming words for your haiku, visualize the scene you are trying to create in your mind for inspiration."
• "Can you find two new transitional phrases to use in your sentences while writing your story?"
• “How can you incorporate our spelling list into your writing today?”
• “Make a list of words that rhyme with one line in your poem. Do any of these offer something new to your piece?”
• “Share adjectives with your peers at your table. Select one new word to incorporate in the next stanza.”

Coaching Media Arts Students

• "I love the music you selected for this scene. Why did you select it?"
• "Here are some sites for copyright-free digital images that might help you tell your story."
• "Before you move into production, walk me through your storyboards so I get a feel for where you are going with this."
• "Check out these other couple short films similar in topic to yours; they might inspire your method."
• "Remember that this process takes practice and you are doing a great job persevering through the tough parts. Remember to give yourself a break."
• "It looks like a short tutorial on green screen effects in iMovie might be helpful to you. Here is a link to one of my favorites."
• "Can I share an idea about how to...?"

Supporting Music Skills 

• "Listen carefully. Does your voice match what you are hearing?"
• "Can you follow exactly what my voice is doing?"
• "If that was easy for you, try adding something else in addition (layer beat and rhythm at the same time, conduct, use hand signs, show on the finger staff, add dynamics, etc.)."
• "How can you vary the sound? Could you try it faster (slower, higher, lower, louder, softer, etc.)?”
• "What words would you use to describe what you are hearing? How could we represent what we hear with pictures or symbols?"
• "If we were to change the order of the sections, what would you do?"
• "This is what I saw/heard. Does that convey what you are trying to express?"
• "If you were going to conduct this part of the music, what would you do?"
• "What do we need to accomplish to be ready for the performance? Which part needs more practice? What needs to happen to master this piece?"
• "Show the emotion of the piece on your face and in your body as you perform it."
• "Listen for ... (form, timbre, rhythm, words, patterns, melody, expressive qualities, etc.). What will our audience hear and see?"

Side Coaching Visual Art Students

• "What do you plan to do next?"
• "How do you plan to address that empty area?"  
• "Let's print some pictures you selected to help you design your art."
• "I love the color/shape/texture you chose, tell me about it."
• "Here are some artists who created something similar to what you're working on."
• "I see you are frustrated. How can I help?"  
• "How do you envision the final piece looking?"  
• "Let's take a look at your work from far away. What do you notice? How is it different from when you see it up close?" 
• "What do you want the viewer to see first?"