Statement of Teaching Philosophy

As a private piano instructor, I work with musicians of all ages and levels. For each of my students, my first goal is to give them the basic tools necessary in order for each student to be as independent as possible. Developing a high level of independence can ensure productive work for the six of the seven days in a week, during which I do not see those students. This will yield both short-term benefits, in completing specific assignments, and long-term benefits, for example, being able to apply previously learned concepts to new assignments. Within my field of work, the aforementioned basic tools can be technical or musical, and one must develop an understanding of how to use and practice these basic tools. These categories are not mutually exclusive, on the contrary, it is a sign that a student can effectively work independently when they are able to see how these two categories work together and are essential to the study of music.

Technical foundation is essential in order to communicate one’s musical interpretations. Many students confuse technique with “making zero mistakes,” or being able to play quickly and accurately. These are two examples of skills that I believe can fall under either of the aforementioned categories, not necessarily technique. For me, a solid technical foundation is an understanding and mastery of each of the specific movements required in each piece of music. Each sound color, dynamic, and articulation will require a different stroke or motion. The context of the music will also determine the motion required to play; for example, the playing of single notes, octaves and chords will each require a different movement, and when combined with different desired dynamic levels, tempos, articulations or tone color, even more so. Because each movement is linked to a specific desired sound or sounds, the development of a solid technical foundation relies heavily on an equally strong musical foundation. If any of these movements has not been mastered and does not comfortably and sufficiently produce the desired result, it is both the teacher and student’s job to improve this through exercises and mindful repetitions of the motions.

Musical foundation relies on two key aspects; interpretation and the physical manifestations of each interpretation through sound and timing. Much of the work regarding the former can be done away from the piano, through analysis of the musical score’s content, such as structure of the phrases, character of the music, and identifying and conceptualizing a composer’s additional markings in the music. The greatest tool for analysis is the infinite number of questions one can ask; these questions can be simple and quantitative, especially at the beginning of learning a piece, such as, “Where does each phrase start and end,” or “What is the role of each hand/voice?” Questions can also be more qualitative, such as “What is the character of this section,” “What tempo will get me the character I’m looking for,” or “What type of sound do I want here?” 

Because such qualitative questions are subjective, I would encourage my student to try every interpretive possibility of a piece, or section of a piece, that they can think of in order to be sure that they have, firstly, made a conscious choice, and secondly, can be confident in their choice. Whether or not the student’s choice “works” within the context of the music, the act of making a choice can lead to a fruitful conversation between the student and teacher, during which further discoveries about the music can be made. I also encourage my students to understand that multiple interpretations of a piece can work, and that they are not bound to any single way of playing a piece. 

To conclude, I reiterate the importance of both technical and musical “tools”, which are related and must be developed concurrently. Technique is the mastery of each needed movement in order to produce a desired musical result. Musical foundation is the understanding of a piece’s content through one’s unique interpretation, and the realization of that interpretation through sound and timing. The development of technical tools requires mindful repetition of each movement, and musical foundation can be developed through the asking of questions (which can be done away from the piano) and experimentation. The more advanced a student gets, the more the focus of my teaching can shift to the musical, and the questions asked may become more creative or insightful. When a student is able to use all of these concepts independently, that student will be able to produce great work on their own, thus, the lessons will consist less of my “teaching” and more of our conversations.