“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” (Antoine de Saint Exupéry) Passion for classical music study is its own form of longing. This passion starts from within and motivates us in varied ways. This inner passion can be encouraged, but this encouragement requires a gentle approach. When students recognize the beauty of music possibilities the learning process becomes intrinsically valuable - a process that becomes guided by the goal of student success.

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One of the most rewarding experiences I get to have as a teacher is when helping a student who is working on a piece of music that they think is so far outside of their ability level as to be completely out of reach. Maybe it is a piece they will be performing with their school band or maybe it is an audition for an upcoming honor band opportunity, but they are put in a position where they have no choice but to try and learn the music as best as they can. They begin by thinking that being able to play the music is an impossibility. But after a few weeks of practice, they start to notice how they have improved and how far they have come since the beginning. I love to see the shift that happens within the student during this process. It motivates them to invest even more time into practicing because they see the payoff of their efforts. Before long, they are surprised to find themselves playing the very piece that just a month or two prior they were certain they would never be able to play. The light that comes on when we accomplish something that we thought impossible is something so powerful in a person’s life that it inspires them to search out new avenues of growth. This process is one that I have experienced for myself as a student and seen many times as a teacher. It is what guides my teaching philosophy and is one of the outcomes of learning that I value the most.

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The practical way that I guide students through this learning process is by focusing on the present practice session in front of them and how to use that time effectively, in order to help them achieve their short-term and long-term goals. Rather than mindlessly repeating passages incorrectly over and over until getting it correct once, I encourage and demonstrate to students how to practice in a patient and mindful way in order to make powerful progress. I assign students regular fundamental exercises, such as long tones and scales, in order to strengthen the foundation of their playing abilities. Additionally, I have students work on specific techniques such as “the rule of three” and “mixed rhythms” that help keep their brain constantly challenged and engaged in a practice session. At the end of a period of preparation for a given performance or audition I will have my students perform a mock audition/concert for me. We will then discuss the pros and cons and what we can do to polish it further before the actual performance arrives.  

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Learning can be a messy process at times, particularly when a student is engaging with music on an experiential level. This has led me to avoid criticizing students for mistakes, but rather to encourage students in the midst of them because each mistake contains valuable information that leads us all to a place of deeper understanding. I also find it important to remember that students aren’t just learning machines but rather people that have their own struggles outside of the classroom that teachers should be mindful of. By treating each student as an individual, I can find which form of learning works best for everyone that I teach.