As a teacher, I foremost strive to instill a sense of artistry and musicianship and I organize my overarching structure for student learning experiences around this dedication to musicality. This means that I help my students to approach horn playing with specific musical intention. This applies to everything from warm-up routines, scales, and even the most dry technical etudes, to parts played in ensembles and pieces prepared for solo performance. In this way, expressive musicality informs and directs the development of a fluid technique.
Beyond instilling musical integrity, one of my top goals is to help individual students to identify their goals and to hone the tools needed to achieve their aspirations. There are so many professional paths that musicians can take. I consider it vital for me to present these different possibilities to my students, helping them to create a plan, and to search out and seize opportunities that help them toward their desired professional path. This includes guiding them in entrepreneurial skills that could serve them in any career.
Regardless of student goals, I believe that efficient and productive practice skills serve as an imperative tool for a musical life. I work closely with students to impart skills to make horn playing easier, especially when sharing music with an audience. In performance situations, musicians often add excess pressure to themselves, attempting to focus harder and play better than ever before. I guide my students to switch this mentality, focusing harder in the practice room so that they can let go in performance and enjoy the act of sharing music with their listeners. My approach includes practice techniques that I have learned through my own experience and research into performance success training. For example, I utilize tools from Jeff Nelson’s Fearless Performance method and Frank Diaz’s Mindfulness Based Wellness and Pedagogy. Through a performance-based and mindful approach, no matter their level, students can find enjoyment and satisfaction while sharing music with their audience. This can serve them whether in an educational setting or performing on stage.
Ultimately, I hope that this kind of training on the horn can help students to find fulfilling, productive, and happy lives after graduation. To bolster this goal, and because I believe that well-rounded musicianship includes interpersonal skills and the ability to work alongside others, I endeavor to instill a sense of community and support within the horn studio. This includes creating an environment where students celebrate each other’s individual successes and actively help one another to reach their goals.