Teaching Methodology
I want to enable each student to attain the skills they need to be creative and successful artists, on both personal and professional levels. Although I work with each student to address their individual goals and needs, my approach to teaching is generally based on these elements:
1) Development of musical awareness: listen, listen, listen, so that you begin to hear and speak music as a language; this is important in building a sense of history in specific genres but also in understanding the breadth and variety in the world of music; understanding a specific genre is so important (honing in on one artist or one genre), but listening outside of that area of focus will enable you to draw on a whole world of colors and sounds
2) Development of personal style: what do you like? who are your favorite artists? why? can you get the sounds you want to hear on your own instrument? what makes you and your ideas unique and different?
3) Development of technical facility: in order to speak music fluently, you’ve got to be able to get around on your instrument with ease and comfort, to read and write music easily, etc; technical facility enables us to say what we want to say when we want to say it, and it enables us to communicate and collaborate with others
My pedagogical ideas are constantly developing, and I enjoy discussing teaching with others. Please get in touch if you want to talk about ideas!
Two of my current favorite pedagogical books:
