Teaching Philosophy
As a college level instructor, I desire to cultivate a classroom atmosphere that values hard work, curious inquiry, and ethical character. I aim to provide my students with opportunities to try new techniques and explore their talents. My students are rewarded for creating personal challenges and encouraged to use their education as a springboard for innovation and discovery through mentored outside projects. I also wish to demonstrate the worth of kindness and tolerance in everyday life, and to promote a values system that teaches selflessness, charity, cooperation, and honesty.
As a studio teacher I work to uncover a vocal sound that is free and authentic; I use this sound as a basis for further discovery. From there, my students and I explore colors, characterizations, and techniques suited for various styles and genres. I teach with a bel canto influence, but I modify my teaching to meet the individual. I realize that students have wide ranges of strengths and challenges, and I attempt to assign repertoire that simultaneously supports and challenges their discovery process. My ultimate goal as a studio teacher is to foster independence and confidence in vocal technique and musical ideas, and to this end I encourage students increasingly to choose their own repertoire and view applied voice training as a guided independent study.
I have a strong commitment to experiential learning, both on- and off-campus. I encourage my students to participate in independent learning environments such as summer music festivals and training programs, and I utilize my field connections to bolster acceptance into these programs. My students have participated in summer programs such as Songfest in L.A., American Institute for Musical Studies in Graz, and Frost School of Music Studies in Salzburg. I also seek out opportunities for my students to perform in local and regional galas and productions, and help to facilitate internships with local opera companies and orchestras.
I am also an avid proponent for study abroad. I led three HPU student performance tours in Costa Rica as part of the Centro Cultural Costarricense/Norteamericano “Promising Artists of the 21st Century” program, and I was HPU faculty leader for the Prague Institute in spring semester 2015. I taught MUS/GBS 3651-01 (Rock Me Amadeus) in spring 2014 and designed a class itinerary that included Salzburg, Prague, and Vienna. I spent two summers as a guest artist/lecturer in China and was awarded an honorary faculty post at Shaoguan University (Guangdong, China) in 2017. I believe that these cultural experiences enrich the minds and attitudes of our future artists and leaders, and I am committed to the development of new study abroad experiences for my students.
My classroom is a safe environment for exploration, and I encourage students to take risks with the understanding that not every venture will be entirely successful; growth is often uncomfortable, but my students have my complete support when their best efforts do not reach personal benchmarks. Within this context, however, I expect my students to demonstrate a high standard of discipline and effort. Just as I challenge my students to explore new concepts and move outside of their comfort zones, I challenge myself to further my own studies and performing career, and to learn from my students and colleagues. Teaching is my passion as well as my vocation, and I use my enthusiasm for the subject matter as motivation to improve the musical and ethical lives of each student I encounter.
