My objective as a music educator is to aid my students in developing a firm understanding and internalization of the fundamentals of music making, and using those fundamentals to establish their own personal methods of expression. Additionally, students under my tutelage will learn to extend their study of classical music beyond technical and musical aspects and into historical and sociopolitical context in order to understand the world in which their repertoire was created, and how that repertoire functions in the world today.

Teaching should be a collaborative process: there are of course specific situations in which a more didactic approach is necessary, but these methods must always serve a very intentional and specific purpose, and more often than not should be motivated largely by the student. My job is not to shape the student into my ideal musician, but rather to help each student’s development in such a way as to help them become their ideal musician. This is done by challenging students to constantly answer “why” questions in order to ensure that they are able to justify their own artistic decisions, which results in the shaping of their musical self-awareness and tastes, the prioritization of intentionality in their playing, and the promotion of a more introspective and self-analytical approach towards the refinement of their skills.

The difficulty of an instrument should not be a barrier to musicality and self-expression. As such, solid fundamentals of instrumental technique are a focus of my pedagogical approach. This is not, however, a fixation on virtuosity; rather, I want to ensure that my students are not held back as musicians by problems in their playing such lack of facility or flexibility, tension in their posture, or any other similar challenges. Playing music should not be difficult, and it is my duty to construct students’ basic technique in order to insure that this is never the case.

After ending their study with me, students will be equipped with a strong sense of independence and a framework to guide their future learning, even without another teacher. They will have acquired an awareness and understanding of their musical tastes and opinions, and developed transferable skills such as self-awareness, proactivity, curiosity, and collaborative techniques.