Prospective Students
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching draws on the approaches, ideas, and exercises of the most influential musicians in my own life, as well as the pedagogical methods of Ivan Galamian, Paul Rolland, John Kendall, and Shinichi Suzuki. My two primary focuses as a teacher are to make music fun and rewarding and to be thorough in establishing excellent technique.
I also have a background in something called Body Mapping, which is a method for helping musicians to be aware of their bodies while playing so they can be quick and efficient with their movements and also avoid discomfort from repetitive motions. This influences my teaching and I focus on making sure each student is physically well set up.
As part of my efforts to inspire motivation and joy for music making, I place importance on selecting repertoire that both suits the student’s tastes and provides the necessary educational value. In my own playing I greatly value variety in terms of genres, both within and outside of classical music. I carry this forward into my curriculum, often assigning a classical work alongside a fiddle tune for instance.
I strongly believe that music should be an opportunity available to everyone and that music should be taught to improve people’s lives, not just to produce competition-winning virtuosos. While I am glad to take those who are interested the full distance, and I expect all my students to work hard, I also recognize that music serves a different role in each student’s life. I look forward to discovering the path and goals that make sense for your individual aspirations and life circumstances!