Teaching Philosophy

Music, the aural art, like all other arts— visual, culinary, architectural, and alike— has a complex and intertwined amount of layering which goes into the delivery of a work. The commonality these arts share is the base or foundation that they must be set on. Knowing, recognizing, and learning what the highest level of the craft is, and trying step by step to imitate it, until you can reproduce or surpass it, is the end goal.

The approach to teaching and making music is the same way we form natural dialogue, connections, and build relationships with seeking advice from family, friends, and mentors. This is the way that a pedagogue should engage with a student to keep the principles of music and its evolution. Taking past experiences and impressions and trading them with a becoming musician for their development is the standard. This experience is not necessarily a top-down instruction but a person-to-person collaboration.

Playing a musical instrument is often incorrectly approached subconsciously as having to make radical changes the natural actions and reactions that we as humans innately use or perform through other functions. Typing on a keyboard -> pressing a valve/key. Taking a deep breath before having to hold your breath -> the air support gathered before playing the instrument. Blowing out a candle -> air passing through the instrument. The natural release of a yawn -> releasing that air. Holding a pencil -> holding the trombone slide. Reading a book -> reading music. Regular tasks/actions with a slightly refined application for music performance purposes. Make music as natural and effortless as possible!