teaching

Whether I am teaching trombone, jazz theory, musical ensemble techniques, or effective writing styles, my guiding objective is to give students the exact information they need to figure out the process for success on their own. A dogmatic approach to intellectual learning is not conducive to maximal growth for most people, and only through careful tailoring of instructional techniques do the masses reach their greatest potential. My role as an instructor is to not fit the student to the approach, but to find an approach that capitalizes on the student’s strengths and weaknesses to achieve the most well-rounded growth possible. My responsibility as a teacher is to facilitate the identification and implementation of material best suited to each student’s learning style. I am a big proponent of allowing students the space to try something new and fail. In the studio, rehearsal, or a lesson, I encourage failure, and will always stand by a student to help lead them to success. I do this in every effort to prepare a student to recognize their specific actions that lead them to success. Positive and negative feedback are aspects of my teaching that I try to incorporate in a matter-of-fact way. Rather than spare the student’s feelings at the expense of the music, I would rather spare the student’s music and build trust with them that I am here to help them reach their musical goals. I try to impart to my students that the methods by which they will accomplish their musical goals will help them solve other complex problems throughout the course of their studies, their careers, and their lives. My charge as a teacher is to help students learn how to grow, not to grow them.