OUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

"I never practice, I always play."  Wanda Landowska

We believe that there is a reason that we say playing music. We see music as one way to express the joy of being alive, always with the spirit of play and fun accompanying discipline and structure. We strive to keep this joyful gratitude at the heart of our teaching.

We strive to create a positive and supportive learning environment where students leave with more energy than when they arrived.

We prioritize excellent musicianship at all times. We challenge our students at every skill level to create music that is beautiful, nuanced and pleasing to hear.

We emphasize teaching strong music fundamentals, including sight-reading, theory, and knowledge of harmony. We believe this sets up the foundation for a lifetime of music-making and encourages independent learning. 

We incorporate musical collaboration into our lessons, including playing and singing duets with students, forming duet teams among students, and creating studio workshops for students to perform for one another. We believe that a well-rounded music education includes developing the ability to listen and respond with keen awareness, and developing the ability to communicate musically with words, sounds, and body language. 

THE BIGGER WHY

"All the right notes, all the right rhythms—I would almost stand and bet you that that [performance] was 100% accurate. We like 100%. We like high scores...we come to the musical table expecting that, and that's what we call mediocre."

100%. An "A." That's what we call mediocre. 

One of the reasons we are passionate about music education is because we believe that music teaches the true meaning of excellence, which doesn’t have to do with scores, tests, or reports.

Music teaches the kind of excellence that points to something beyond its own achievement—an achievement where ultimately the achiever steps out of the way to create an experience of something greater than getting it right.

In this way, music requires a holistic achievement: that you bring all parts of yourself together into one moment, that you learn how to gather your intellect, physical body, and feelings into one unified, artful expression.

Creating a unified, artful expression asks nothing less than your full presence. Performing then becomes an act of devotion, a generous offering of the most precious gift you'll ever have—yourself.