Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is: For students to succeed, they must be heard and seen for who they are.
I firmly believe that for students to have success in academia and the world, they must be able to be heard and seen early on in their lives. Students of any age need to have someone supporting them, and I feel that is my calling within the music education discipline. I want to be that type of teacher for my future students, and creating that relationship from the beginning is crucial for trust to form. Simply learning a child’s name is vital for student trust to culminate, and throughout my time with my students, they will blossom into something beautiful: confident, respectful, and well-rounded members of society. No student should live their first eighteen years alone; they need someone who supports them, acknowledges them, and appreciates who they are, no matter what their past was. Starting the conversation first shows students that the teacher cares about them.
While talking to students is important, listening to students is just as valuable. I want students to have a voice and feel appreciated in the classroom, and engaging in discussions with individual students will create that bond. Using music to help share students’ perspectives would help foster this relationship. In the classroom setting, I will take suggestions for repertoire to play for the next concert cycle, and I will always respect my students' opinions and questions. Students have different personalities, and I know that challenges will come in connecting with students. Still, I will strive to communicate with every single one of my students, for I want them to be heard and seen. This level of trust is hard to obtain, but I make it my mission to do just that.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
I believe that every student belongs in the music classroom, regardless of gender, sexuality, race, economic status, and other "discriminatory" factors. The music world is not meant to be Eurocentric, but rather multicultural, bringing an honest representation of the world. In my experience, the music world is meant to be vast and inclusive. One of my goals as a string educator is to include music from all areas of the world my students come from, despite the Eurocentric origin of string playing. Music is meant to be an inclusive space for all, and I will foster that in my classroom.
Since music is typically a choice with students, we as educators must make it a point to create an environment that reinforces safety. Growing up, music was the safest part of my life, and I aim to foster that sense of safety in my own classroom by cultivating a positive environment and modeling what it means to be a good human. I teach music not because I want my students to pursue music as a career, though that is a plus. I teach through music to create well-rounded and respectful humans in hopes they do the same.