Mount Vernon Studio

Teaching Philosophy

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Music is a huge part of not only the lives of a musician but it also in the lives of non-musicians. It is a valuable means of communication with others, a great scapegoat for hidden or buried emotions, and an excellent tool for the development of necessary skills such the capability to sustain a long and focused attention span, multitasking, time management, and more. While these are skills that are developed indirectly over time, the role of a teacher, especially of younger children, are to look for ways in which to help their student in a more direct form by guiding them to set short term goals, encouraging them to create a course of action to achieve these goals, and providing a safe environment to explore and experiment without the fear of making mistakes.

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Motivation is an important factor for musical progress. In order to provide motivation, students must feel a sense of accomplishment being made throughout their overall learning process. To make learning more fun and effective, the role of the teacher is to find the best possible method to teach each individual as their learning habits may vary from one another. Teachers should provide their students the opportunity to experience music with their instrument through different means by incorporating visual aid, hearing, touch, and emotions. 

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I believe that to become an effective teacher, one must first know the student on both a professional and personal level so that the teacher may not only know the best teaching approach for the student but more importantly, so that the teacher can provide the student with a fun and positive learning experience. However, teaching is not solely dependent on the teacher. While it is up to the teacher to do their best to plan out the most effective lesson for the student, it is up to the student and parents to keep up a consistent practice schedule to retain the information learned during the lesson.

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Finally, as the student approaches the end of their musical training in my studio, it is my ultimate goal that the student not only remembers how to play long phrases with contrasting dynamics but more importantly, to have gained a broader scope of knowledge in music of different genres. I hope that the student would continue to enjoy music and have the ears to appreciate music wherever they go.