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Teaching Philosophy One of my music teachers used to say that musical tones were like colors, and that making music was like painting. This metaphor has stayed with me, as a musician and a teacher. Understanding how music works can seem very abstract and complicated, but using a metaphor of a painter picking out colors to paint with helped me to see music as something much more practical and simple. It has helped me to break down musical concepts to an elementary level that can more easily be taught to beginners. |
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As I have developed as a musician over the last 15 years, I am reminded again and again how important it is to have a firm grasp on the basics. I have heard it said that the primary colors are just as important to beginners as they are to masters. I have come up with my own primary colors of music which are rhythm, melody and harmony. When you learn and internalize these basic primary colors of music, not only do you have the tools to understand and play songs that have already been written, but it also opens you to musical exploration and creativity which I think is the most exciting part about music.
In teaching my students, I start from the most basic level and then build on it step-by-step. For instance, I start off teaching melody by showing how the major scale applies to one string on their instrument, and then eventually showing them how to play the major scale using multiple strings from any place on the fretboard. Then we move onto how they can use the major scale to play melodies, how major scales can be used to build chords, and how they can use chords to make up their own melodies. Chords are the way harmony is expressed on the guitar, and strumming them is the rhythm. The primary colors of music have many concepts that are interlocked. These types of teaching concepts continue to build on each other to create a solid foundation. When I teach students who already have a musical background, I find that sometimes they are missing basic concepts that can hold them back as musicians. As a music teacher, it is my goal to help my students develop into well rounded musicians so that they can follow their musical dreams.
In teaching my students, I start from the most basic level and then build on it step-by-step. For instance, I start off teaching melody by showing how the major scale applies to one string on their instrument, and then eventually showing them how to play the major scale using multiple strings from any place on the fretboard. Then we move onto how they can use the major scale to play melodies, how major scales can be used to build chords, and how they can use chords to make up their own melodies. Chords are the way harmony is expressed on the guitar, and strumming them is the rhythm. The primary colors of music have many concepts that are interlocked. These types of teaching concepts continue to build on each other to create a solid foundation. When I teach students who already have a musical background, I find that sometimes they are missing basic concepts that can hold them back as musicians. As a music teacher, it is my goal to help my students develop into well rounded musicians so that they can follow their musical dreams.
