Educational Philosophy
As an educator in a performance-based field my primary goal with students is to help them build a strong foundation as musicians, and to foster a life-long appreciation for the arts. I value the process of meeting students where they are at and tailoring the student’s instruction to their needs. This process is a particularly meaningful one at Missouri Western State University where the students enter the university with a wide variety of lived experiences. In individualized instruction my primary values are curiosity, creativity, and consistency. I find that if my students are interested and excited about seeking out resources and references, they end up being more passionate about the process of improving. I also find that building a positive studio culture helps contribute to the student’s connection to each other and encourages an environment of cross collaboration. It is of vital importance that my studio space is a safe place for students to try new things, for them to fail, learn, and grow all while maintaining high expectations for the student’s preparation and participation.
During student’s weekly lessons they will be thoughtfully assigned excerpts, etudes, and solo works by a diverse collection of composers. The goal of these assignments is to create a balanced diet of materials that will address specific focus areas for the student. As an educator, I deeply enjoy utilizing cross-specialty learning where we incorporate movement, conducting, singing, drawing, and/or poetry with musical ideas and concepts as a way to diversify the student’s connection to the music. In our weekly studio classes I intend to facilitate classes by a diverse body of guest artists that represent a wide variety of specialties. As a musician that specializes in a performance field outside of traditional orchestral or solo performing, I recognize the importance of exposing students to the amazing potential and opportunity in alternate performance spaces.
In order to showcase the growth of students and increase their comfort as performers, I hold regular trumpet studio recitals and brass chamber ensemble performances. It is also a priority to connect them with opportunities to perform in outreach and community efforts. These regular performance outlets act as an important step in preparing the students for on-campus juries and recitals as well as off-campus interviews, gigs, and auditions in the future. By recording and reflecting on these performances, students train not only their trumpet playing but also their ear so that they make more significant and lasting change in their playing. I catalog these recordings and assist students in compiling them to create a performance portfolio that can be used to market their musicianship upon the completion of their degree.