Teaching
My Teaching Philosophy
My approach to teaching begins from the framework that learning to play music is a collaborative effort between teacher and student in which we come together to achieve a shared goal. Through their musical study my students learn to think critically and ask insightful questions that lead them to deepen their connection to the artistic world around them. They’re good teachers and kind, thoughtful people.
I believe that all students are deserving of a meaningful music education regardless of their socio-economic status, age, race, culture, ability, gender, or sexuality. Studying music is a means by which we are able to grow into people who are insightful, humble, and caring. No matter what their background is, I strive to provide an environment in which students are able to fully realize their potential. Essential to this goal is ensuring student safety with ethical conduct, providing equitable instruction, and facilitating the creation of enriching communities among students. In my view, these conditions are interrelated and necessary for students to succeed. I endeavor to cultivate a vibrant sense of camaraderie among my students that embraces and celebrates the diversity of their backgrounds and experiences. It is important to me that every student feels they are embraced and valued in my studio.
I aim to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for us to learn from each other and grow through the art and craft of music making.
Preparing Future Teachers
“I believe that this pedagogy class with Nick was one of the most useful for my professional career. I feel so much more equipped to start teaching on my own than I was before and I'm interested in learning more about pedagogy. I like the way the class was structured and how we all got hands–on experience demonstrating our teaching techniques.”
My favorite part of being at James Madison University is teaching courses in bass pedagogy. Students are invited to take part in a year-long, two part sequence through which they will gain the skills they need to begin their journey as teachers on strong footing.
The first semester is designed to give students an overview of the existing string playing literature and get them into the pedagogical mindset. We explore what pedagogy is and break it down in to its constituent parts: “What do we want to teach? and, “How do we want to teach it?”
Students take this perspective and use it to examine their own playing and the ways they were taught. Class discussions reveal the wide range of approaches and philosophies present in the school orchestra programs and private instruction that have led them to study music at the university level.
To mimic the experience of our new students we spend several classes learning to play the bass “backwards”. By having to bow with the left hand and finger notes with the right hand we gain valuable insight into the common problems our students can have. Through peer-to-peer teaching, students get opportunities to try to solve these problems, both as a teacher and as a student. Reflecting on these experiences helps each student identify common problems and build a repertoire of teaching strategies that will serve their students for many years to come.
Outside of the peer teaching and study of literature, the first semester also includes a research project in which students develop questions around a topic related to pedagogy, research them, and present their findings. Because there simply aren’t enough classes in the semester to cover each topic in-depth, this project teaches students to critically evaluate resources and gain expertise on their own. Past student projects have included topics from teaching effective practice strategies, to vibrato, as well as approaches to teaching students with ADHD.
The other essential part of the course is preparing to students to apply to teaching jobs through the creation of various professional documents. It’s not uncommon for students to go through their entire undergraduate programs and graduate without a resume. We begin by creating a CV, pair that down to a resume, and also write teaching philosophies, and short biographies. By the end of this semester students have all the practical skills and knowledge to be effective teachers and are also prepared to apply to jobs that will put their knowledge into practice.
In the second semester each of the pedagogy students is paired with a music education student who has an interest in learning more about the bass. Each week the students meet for a lesson and the new teachers get an opportunity to test the skills they’ve spent the previous semester developing. We continue to meet as class to discuss our struggles and successes and share ideas. We watch recordings of their lessons to gain insight into each student’s methodology and look for ways to improve. By the end of their second semester students leave with the skills and knowledge that can only be gained through hands-on teaching experience. They also are members of a community of brilliant new teachers they can continue to rely on for ideas, and inspiration as they continue to learn and grow.
