"I aim for a balance of learning necessary skills along with the pure enjoyment of producing a musical result to share with friends and family."
As a teacher, as in life, we become a composite of many influences that we have learned from. I feel very grateful that the teachers and mentors I've worked with have been those who have a deep respect towards music as a discipline and as a means that allows us to experience life at a deeper level. Most of my peers who are performing musicians are also of the mindset that music is there to make the world a better place, to create bonds, communication and understanding between people. My teachers always held high expectations but not in a way in which it felt unnatural or unhealthy.
In teaching children I especially try to find music that inspires them to learn more, to keep it from feeling too regimented. I aim for a balance of learning necessary skills along with the pure enjoyment of producing a musical result to share with friends and family. My adult students have varied goals that we work together to achieve; many come to me for technical training in the Taubman Approach.
My students have been some of my greatest teachers. I believe in giving a student a positive affiliation with learning music and keeping the big picture in mind. It's easy at times to get caught up in the details of learning complex ideas and to miss the love for the music. Someone once told me "Music will always be your best friend." How true that is!