TEACHING

Teaching Profile (Matchspace)

Teaching Philosophy

I believe that every child should be given the means to express themselves on a musical instrument or voice. The deepness of feeling that a melody can contain has the potential to enhance a child's emotional awareness of both themselves and their surroundings.

In order to help a child reach this state, many factors must first be put in place. A student must feel that they can behave like themselves while studying music. If a student feels like they have to act a certain way in order to please a teacher it will no longer appear to the student that they are learning music for themself. In order for a student to realize that they are studying music for their own benefit, it is also important that a teacher cultivates the practice towards music that the student connects to and is interested in producing.

I strongly believe that every child has the desire and ability to express themselves musically, and the teacher's job is to lead the student down that path towards expression.

In order for the student to connect with the music they are trying to master at a deep level, I see teaching by ear as being integral to the learning process. Even for technical studies, learning by ear is necessary in order to connect one's body with the exercise. This is an example of how I like to make the necessary disciplinary aspects of learning an instrument still feel connected to musical expression for a student.

Many parents decide to put their children in musical studies for the sake of discipline. While discipline is an important trait, not to mention needed to learn any musical form, the habits formed from practicing an instrument only mean something to a student if it is in service to them being able to express themselves through music.

Because music does require intense amounts of discipline it is very easy for a child learning music to fall into the trap of only seeing the disciplinary aspect and thus hurting their natural ability to express their ideas through music. As a music teacher it is my primary concern to connect these ideas and lessons from discipline in a way that strictly relates to the child's musical passion.