With time and consistent work, everyone can learn the language of music. Just a few minutes a day of focused, goal-oriented practice will go a long way by the end of the week. The structure of reading and playing of music is nearly identical to the structure of spoken language. In our lessons, we frequently use analogies of punctuation, sentences, paragraphs, vocal inflection, imagery, etc.
I want students to experience the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from hard work. The benefits of music lessons extend past the bench with body awareness, improved reading skills, recognizing patterns, hand-eye coordination, higher self-esteem and improved memory!
Because each student is an individual with varied interests, learning styles and goals, I do not teach cookie cutter lessons straight out of method books. My goal is to create well- rounded musicians with use of supplemental material that includes diverse styles of music, sight-reading, theory, technique, ear training, transposition, and improvisation.
I love working with my students to choose a repertoire that is balanced with a variety of difficulty levels, styles, eras, and composers from around the world. We learn everything from Bach and Chopin to salsa and reading pop chord charts! Every year, we participate in Elissa Milne's 40 Piece Challenge. The more music students are exposed to playing (at various levels and styles) the faster the progress as solid musicians. Just like reading books. Which is more beneficial to developing language and reading comprehension in children: 2-3 challenging books or reading dozens of books about many topics?
While my students are encouraged to participate in festivals, adjudicated events, and recitals, I am not a competition driven teacher. I find it far more valuable to create well-rounded, independent musicians by teaching them how to learn and effectively practice. Learning how music works is more enjoyable and far outweighs learning a handful of pieces each year for competitions.
All too often, adults tell me about their unpleasant childhood lesson experiences. Hopefully, my students will look back with great memories of our lessons! I want my students to be able to sit down and lead holiday sing-alongs with family and friends, sit down at the piano to relax after a stressful day or even become accompanists or church musicians with their strong sight-reading skills! In a perfect world, aren’t we supposed to be working ourselves out of a job by creating independent musicians?
At every lesson, students will receive my very best and I expect the same from them. Parental support, regular practice, reading and completing assignments, a positive attitude and patience are necessities in my studio.
Remember, Rome was not built in a day! :)