Philosophy of Teaching

My goal as a teacher is to make myself obsolete. By this, I mean that my objective is to help students become independent, able to go out and learn without my help. My job as a teacher then becomes teaching students how to learn in addition to the content itself. The best way to do this is to help students cultivate their interests and encouraging them to explore.

In music, this means building strong fundamental technique so that the technical difficulties of music making are overcome. I incorporate heavy use of sight reading and improvisation with drones in my teaching in order to teach entrainment, which I have found to be incredibly helpful to help students learn any genre of music.

I especially believe in the importance of cultivating a safe environment in order to help students feel safe to explore, whether in a classroom or in a private lesson setting. A student who feels safe to explore is one who will take risks and will push themselves.

More important than learning music, however, is the development of character. I strive to help my students become responsible, independent, and reliable citizens, and music is simply the vehicle through which I teach it. I hope to inspire my students to not only become better musicians, but also to become lifelong learners, passionate music advocates, and reliable citizens.