Teaching Philosophy

Education is a cornerstone of all great societies.  It prepares us to function effectively in society, allows us to shape society as we want it to be and allows us to become the kind of people that we want to become.  An educated populous is more informed, more effective, more productive, and more innovative. 

The ultimate goal of an educational system is to promote learning to the fullest extent possible in the individual student.  In order to achieve this ultimate goal, the educational system must encourage the student to become a well-rounded person.  This includes a study of music and other arts as an inherent, integrated component to an overall education. 

Students develop in many ways.  They bring their entire set of life experiences to class with them.  Each has a different background, and every group of students will have different strengths and weaknesses.  Learning styles vary from student to student, but most learning is a combination of how we react to what happens to us, how well we are able to process information, and learning new things by doing them. 

A teacher is where the "rubber meets the road."  We are the bridge between all those things that schools should be doing, and what is actually going on in the classrooms.  We are the glue that binds theory to practice.  That is an enormous responsibility and a task that young people should be well-prepared to face when they go out as new teachers and meet the road. 

I draw on my experiences in the public schools, other musical experiences, and my desire to recruit and retain quality professional educators into the teaching profession when I teach. I use not only the latest methods and technology, but time-tested traditional methods as well.  I have learned over the years that I am most effective when students see in me qualities that they respect, and qualities that they might like to emulate in their own teaching.

Professional Information