Teaching Philosophy - A Life in Music

To play the piano is to be totally immersed in the music process. The musician is not an automaton. Each note or chord is designed to elicit a response in the listener, exactly as the composer planned. And it is up to the musician to understand the composer’s intent, presenting the music as he, or she, had intended.

As students of the piano, how do we attain this? A thorough and proper study of piano must include the following:

• Technique: Expressive Touch
• Sight Reading
• Music Theory
• Music History

Music is not simply notes on paper. It is a gift the musician gives to the audience, one of human emotion, historical relevance, and perhaps a few minutes of escape to the world the composer created. Music allows you to experience all of this, both as an audience of many, or as a single listener carried by the music, just as the composer intended.