Why I Teach

I am motivated by the impressive impact that musical study and artistry achieves, and I am endlessly inspired by the power of music’s sheer beauty. With my teaching, I aspire to empower students to become convincing artists while consciously fostering the best extra-musical citizenship and professional skills that a musician’s education can provide.

In pursuit of convincing technique and interpretation, students should be encouraged to be curious, to search for their own answers, and to learn to trust their own instincts. They should learn to practice creatively and solve problems independently while embracing a broad range of repertoire. They should be encouraged to develop their own musical intentions and tastes and participate in experiences that give them poise and self-assurance.

Students learn a great deal from one another. For this reason, in addition to individual lessons and studio performance classes, I prefer to gather “technique groups” of three to four students.  In these groups, we do more than just drill scales and exercises. We observe one another’s work, communicate ideas, invent new solutions to playing and performance challenges, delve into improvisation, and consider possibilities for better practicing, time-management, and general well-being. Students are encouraged to alternate as leaders of their groups, while I take the opportunity to observe as a participant.

The future is unpredictable and dynamic. But the universal skills gained from studying violin, and from participation in chamber music and orchestral performance, can help to prepare students for almost any career path. In chamber groups, for example, each individual shares equally in the rehearsal process, solving technical problems and making interpretive decisions. Of course, every aspect of musicianship is challenged. Precise ensemble playing, beautiful tone, pure intonation and faithful interpretation of a composer’s intentions are fundamental.  More significantly, through their experiences collaborating, students apply essential career skills such as respectful communication, teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, time management, leadership, and creativity. In the context of music study and performance, students learn “soft” skills, which are consistently sought by employers in many fields. Again, these are learned as much from one another in shared experiences as from any teacher.

I treasure the well-established masterworks, but equally love innovations and creative risks in new music. I am thrilled to uncover fine music previously missed or obscured because the composer or performer did not fall into the societal or musical mainstream. I encourage my students to share in this quest when selecting programs for performance. I stress the value of open-minded curiosity in adopting repertoire, embracing works that have been created by underrepresented composers and seeking out forgotten or neglected gems.

In addition, I fuel my own creativity by composing, improvising, and arranging music and I encourage students to trust their abilities to experiment in similar ways.  It is informative for students when my own efforts demonstrate innovation, creativity, and openness to new musical possibilities. It is still more wonderful when students discover their own powers of invention. I welcome my students to share their own original works with me in lessons and add them to their own performances when fully prepared.

I’m particularly proud of the broad range of successes my violin and chamber music students have achieved. Of course, many have continued studies at prominent music schools and prestigious universities. Many are members of professional orchestras, serve on college faculties, run private studios, or teach in thriving Suzuki programs. But among the college graduates from my studio there are also professional orchestra conductors, several national Scottish fiddling competition medalists, a member of an active country western band, the founding faculty member of an El Sistema inspired program, a professional Mariachi musician, a Professor of Music Psychology, an NPR radio broadcaster, several music therapists, a few attorneys, and even one police officer. Still, some of the students I am most proud of and impressed by are those who have become elementary, middle, and high school orchestra teachers. There is no greater thrill for me than visiting one of my former student’s own orchestra classrooms and realizing the especially profound impact they are having on their own students (my “grand-students”).

The art of violin playing is spectacular. But, at its best, the art of teaching violin can transcend even that majestic subject matter. My violin teaching intentionally helps students connect to their own history and culture, while also helping them to gain empathy and admiration for ideas, beliefs, traditions, and experiences of others. It equips students with skills that are indispensable in most any pursuit, including problem-solving, critical thinking, self-confidence, and teamwork. And, it can help students discover their own fulfilling life-long path, enriched by the creativity, curiosity, and meaningfulness that music brings.