Teaching philosophy
Music making is an inborn human desire that is enjoyable, learnable, and rewarding for all. What matters to me is that my students love music and are motivated to learn. With this in mind, I customize my teaching approach to each student according to their unique goals, interests, and needs. My training in Early Childhood Music as well as Piano Pedagogy has equipped me to offer classes and lessons to children of practically any age as well as teens and adults.
A healthy learning environment involves a blend of hard work and enjoyment. During lessons, I always keep our learning objectives in mind but we always have a good time together. We approach music with joy, wonder, and enthusiasm. I am honest with my feedback for students, but strive to always communicate in a positive way, with kindness and gentle humor. I expect my students to follow-through with their assignments and show improvement from week-to-week. Success and fun together is what motivates students.
Audiation (aural comprehension) is the foundation of all musical and pianistic skills. Whenever possible, I strive to introduce concepts first from the perspective of aural understanding. When students understand what they hear happening in music, they can better learn to perform, read, and create with music. During lessons, we listen, move, vocalize, and use labels to identify what we hear in music (e.g., resting tone, major, minor, duple meter, triple meter). This not only leads to meaningful learning moments and greater appreciation, but also opens doors to creative activities like improvisation and composition. In this way, students become not only pianists, but musicians.
Music performance is about not only accuracy, but also artistry. While I want my students to be able to play the right notes at the right time, I also want them to be able to play beautifully and expressively. From the earliest lessons, I strive to teach my students how to produce a full tone at the piano, give phrases interest and shape, and effectively communicate the story or character of the piece. This focus on expression makes music study rewarding and satisfying.
Effective instruction leads to student independence. My ultimate goal is to produce self-reliant, independent musicians who can learn and create music on their own. I avoid teaching approaches that create crutches or dependencies — especially in the early years — and instead build skills in my students that will allow them to increasingly think on their own. I use questions during lessons to guide students to listen to themselves, self-evaluate, and problem solve. Together, we notate goals in their weekly assignments and discuss how to practice effectively in order to reach those goals.
Students learn as much from their peers as they do from teachers. I regularly create opportunities for students to interact and learn from each other. Through interacting with their peers, students can see both how far they’ve come and how far they can go with music. They can learn to inspire, collaborate, and support each other. By sharing their music regularly, students become confident performers and form their unique identities as young people and lifetime musicians.
A healthy learning environment involves a blend of hard work and enjoyment. During lessons, I always keep our learning objectives in mind but we always have a good time together. We approach music with joy, wonder, and enthusiasm. I am honest with my feedback for students, but strive to always communicate in a positive way, with kindness and gentle humor. I expect my students to follow-through with their assignments and show improvement from week-to-week. Success and fun together is what motivates students.
Audiation (aural comprehension) is the foundation of all musical and pianistic skills. Whenever possible, I strive to introduce concepts first from the perspective of aural understanding. When students understand what they hear happening in music, they can better learn to perform, read, and create with music. During lessons, we listen, move, vocalize, and use labels to identify what we hear in music (e.g., resting tone, major, minor, duple meter, triple meter). This not only leads to meaningful learning moments and greater appreciation, but also opens doors to creative activities like improvisation and composition. In this way, students become not only pianists, but musicians.
Music performance is about not only accuracy, but also artistry. While I want my students to be able to play the right notes at the right time, I also want them to be able to play beautifully and expressively. From the earliest lessons, I strive to teach my students how to produce a full tone at the piano, give phrases interest and shape, and effectively communicate the story or character of the piece. This focus on expression makes music study rewarding and satisfying.
Effective instruction leads to student independence. My ultimate goal is to produce self-reliant, independent musicians who can learn and create music on their own. I avoid teaching approaches that create crutches or dependencies — especially in the early years — and instead build skills in my students that will allow them to increasingly think on their own. I use questions during lessons to guide students to listen to themselves, self-evaluate, and problem solve. Together, we notate goals in their weekly assignments and discuss how to practice effectively in order to reach those goals.
Students learn as much from their peers as they do from teachers. I regularly create opportunities for students to interact and learn from each other. Through interacting with their peers, students can see both how far they’ve come and how far they can go with music. They can learn to inspire, collaborate, and support each other. By sharing their music regularly, students become confident performers and form their unique identities as young people and lifetime musicians.
