“Asking Stimulating Questions, Promotes Stimulating Learning”

I came across my philosophy of music, through my experiences with teaching young students in both private lessons, and at the high school level. I must state, it is not just a philosophy of music, but a philosophy of education.  The basic premise of my philosophy simply being, “Asking stimulated questions, promotes stimulating learning, “comes with it an understanding of how the students, with whom I come in contact with, are developing musically and mentally. This philosophy, albeit simple, has provided me with tremendous results in my teaching experience. With this knowledge I will not simply teach “at” students, but rather teach “to” them.

By asking stimulated questions promotes dialogue within the classroom, thus resulting in stimulated learning. The students, who I am inclined to educated, poses inherent ability that they do not know; my job is to draw it from them. From this, I am able to take the knowledge they have gathered, make it applicable, guide it, and make it effective in many ways. With this environment of stimulated learning, the ability to make music becomes more apparent, and passionate. With this philosophy comes not only understanding of how the student learns, but I am able to build a connection with my students, which makes the road they will travel musically, both joyful and comforting. With this connection, I can then realize the individuality of my students, thus making the teaching environment where they learn a comforting one.

However, this philosophy does not only affect the students whom I educate, but it affects me as well. In order to uphold this philosophy, I must posses the necessary musical aptitude, which means being prepared to educate each day at my full potential. With this preparedness, I can hold myself and my students to a higher standard, resulting in an environment of higher learning. Buy holding my students to a higher standard of excellence, in not only the areas of music, my students will posses the tools they need to succeed in life. So with this philosophy, I am not teaching and mentoring students, but creating self-governing individuals, ready to take on life’s challenges.