Teaching Philosophy
I thrive on seeing my students deepen their relationship with music and humanity through their cello studies, and I’m committed to doing everything possible to guide and strengthen their paths toward that goal. Cello teaching has been a constant in my life since the age of 20, and I’ve always strived to address the emotional, mental, physical, collaborative, social, and transcendent aspects of instrumental music-making in a way that’s individually balanced for each student. My primary aspiration is that students gain a love for the cello and its music so that it radiates throughout their lives, both inwardly and outwardly.
I’ve successfully prepared numerous high school students to thrive at conservatories and high-level university music departments, and, for those pursuing non-musical careers, to participate with pleasure and generosity in their university and community music programs. I believe that every student benefits the most by working as though they intend to pursue a career in music. Both aspiring music professionals and those pursuing other careers will gain numerous transferable learning and life skills and ensure the greatest pleasure from music in their lives.
I focus on both musical expression and technical proficiency, believing that these are inextricably linked. I encourage students to learn about the larger world of music by attending concerts, master classes, and other performing arts, along with viewing all these and more online. Physically I employ years of experience in eliminating tension and discomfort in playing. My approach includes scale studies, exercises, etudes, and virtuoso pieces aimed at gaining the facility and ease with the instrument that allows one’s inner musical ideas and feelings to flow freely through the physical self. I believe that one of the primary roles of a teacher is to impart and develop effective and enjoyable practice techniques, striving to achieve practice as—in the words of Yehudi Menuhin—a “refined art that partakes of intuition, of inspiration, patience, elegance, clarity, balance, and, above all, the search for ever greater joy in movement and expression.”
Primarily a teacher of musically gifted teenagers, I also enjoy working with younger, college-age, and adult students. I work most effectively with students who are eager to learn, excited about the cello and classical music, ambitious, collaborative, and driven to be the best cellists and musicians that they can be. With a studio open to all, I have a long history of teaching students from underrepresented backgrounds in Western classical music, and one of my central life missions is to see that world reflect the demographics of our society.
Caring deeply about both people and music, I view the relationship between teacher and student as sacred: two individuals working shoulder to shoulder to achieve the very best for the student, both humanly and musically. I bring to my teaching a deep sense of responsibility and rich experience as a cello devotee, educator, and conductor of professional, youth, and amateur orchestras. I believe in the power of musical learning and performance as a vehicle for human development and social justice—a model of true education.
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