The Teacher’s Teacher: An Ode to the Person Who Taught Me Cello from the Ground Up
Madeline Foley had been a student of Casals, and she happened to live just two blocks from my house
My Studio
You Are Musical! Too Many Students Come to Me Having Been Told the Opposite
There is a myth that either you’re born with an artistic gift or you’re not. Here's how music teachers can break down that misconception and un-do the mantra of "you're not musical."
7 Things to Teach Beginning String Students
Here are 7 areas string teachers should emphasize if their students are to become well-rounded people with a deeper appreciation of how music works and why it’s so important.
The Power of Unconditional Support in Musical Learning and Development
Unconditional support doesn’t mean freely accepting negative or harmful behaviors, but rather treating people as fallible human beings regardless of what they do.
‘The Day I Learned How to Teach’: Bassist John Hamil’s Favorite Lesson
Bassist John Hamil recalls his favorite lesson: "I take this story with me to every lesson and never undervalue the student’s time and effort."
Effective Teaching Strategies for a Music Student With Alzheimer’s Disease
Along with that emotional investment, here are some strategies that work well for teaching music students with Alzheimer's.
Vulnerability Can Be a Key Teaching Tool—If You’re Willing to Go There
Showing students the stages leading up to competence lets them know that their experience is not an aberration; that they are on the same road we, too, are on.
Pandemic Pedagogy: How Creative Limitation May Sow Benefits in the Long Term
As performers and teachers, we may use the pandemic's forced limitations to create new and possibly even more productive solutions moving forward.
For the Better: Lockdown Has Helped Me Re-evaluate My Own Development as a Cellist and Teacher
Teaching online can feel impersonal in comparison, but 2020 has offered me the space to re-evaluate the way I approach my own musical and teaching life.
Critical Connections: The Fundamental Concept at the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute in Chicago is Love
The question that I’ve been asked from day one has been, “Why does it feel different than any other music school when I walk in the door?”