Philosophy of Music Education

My philosophy

Education FIRST!

Vision - Preparing young musicians for excellence, growth, and leadership in performance, education, career, and life.

Mission - Dedicated to creating excellence and providing a high-quality performance experience in an enriching competitive and constructive environment.

A quality music education must be accessible to all students, regardless of their experience, background, demographic, or socioeconomic status. 

Without a doubt, music is one of the most rigorous subjects one can study, but it is also one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences a student will ever encounter in their lifetime. The role of a music educator is to guide students to better themselves - both as musicians and as people - in order to allow music to enrich every aspect of their lives. Students will learn lessons of cooperation, patience, perseverance, creativity, time management, and hard work, all of which are virtues that make for a great member of society. ALL of these are skills that show you how to learn, whether that be in the realm of music, math, science, etc. While these are all valuable skills and are certainly applicable in several different aspects of life, music is worth studying simply for the sake of music. Music is great because it is music. It is something that is enjoyable in and of itself, and something that connects many different people from several different backgrounds.  Music education creates students that leave the classroom with an appreciation for music, creating an environment where students not only want to enjoy music, but also have the desire to create and the passion to educate others through music.

This becomes increasingly difficult to achieve, however, when music education is often not easily accessible. It is an unfortunate reality that music is a subject that requires a lot of initial investment - students and their parents must find an instrument for them to play, the proper equipment (such as mouthpieces, reeds, strings, etc.) for them to be successful, music for them to play, and an instructor that is knowledgeable in their particular instrument. This alone can frequently be a deterrent to many students and their families who may not be able or willing to invest in all of this, often before the student has yet to begin even playing. As such, music educators must make it a priority to provide all students with the same opportunity to enjoy music as their peers, and must do everything in their power to make sure that they have all of the resources and materials available in order for them to succeed.