“Meet students where they arrive, and take them where they desire to go.”
My Musical Journey…
My earliest childhood memories are centered around music--rocking myself to sleep, humming the same tune repeatedly, and pestering my parents for music lessons until they succumbed and purchased a yellow piano for me at a garage sale. My first piano teacher was an opera singer and sang with me as I played. “You’ve got music in your bones,” she said.
Indeed, music is in my soul, and I can’t imagine life without it. For every student I encounter, I hope to pass on my love for music and all that it invokes-magic, sorrow, joy, mystery, awe...the ineffable. Music creates that which words cannot describe or define and unifies us in profound ways.
My Philosophies
I want my students to embrace the entire process involved in learning and polishing music. Becoming a confident, independent musician is a primary focus. One of my greatest strengths is to help every student find their natural musical voice through the piano. In order to express oneself authentically, first, one needs to acquire a free technique.
I’ve had the great fortune to study with Angela Cheng, Robert Spillman and Doris Lehnert. They passed on their wisdom from such greats as Menahem Pressler and the famed Levine pedagogues from Julliard. I expose my students to effective practice techniques as they study the western canon as well as music written in the past 20-30 years. Students and I work together to find appropriate repertoire that both challenges them and builds their confidence.
I have had the pleasure of teaching students from vastly diverse backgrounds both privately and at Montana State University. Whether students come to me from the small towns of Montana or internationally, I find that the background of these individuals promotes lively debate and a grounding that I have not experienced in any other environment. Pianists in my studio are teachers, composers, and engineers; it doesn’t matter from what professional disciplines they arrive or are headed, I meet them where they are and guide them to their preferred destination. Some land in public and private music school teaching, some in film and video game music production, and some in graduate school at music conservatories. The destination doesn’t matter as much as the journey.