Teaching Philosophy
The majority of my classroom teaching experience was garnered in the three years that I was at South Carolina State University which is an HBCU. I believe my work experience there has enabled me to further develop a very inclusive pedagogy. How does one think about teaching a person who has experienced bigotry, racism, and prejudice, except with love, understanding, and compassion. It can be presumed that every student in a class regardless of race or creed has been victimized. Today we know that the vast majority of black Americans have been racially discriminated against, that persons in the LGBTQ community have been marked or ostracized at some point in their lives, and that persons with disabilities have been treated with disrespect or made invisible or denied access. I cannot know the cumulative life experience of any person. I do know that every human being has value, deserves respect, and is entitled to receive the very best I have to offer as a musician/teacher.
I do know that when confronted with discrimination I must speak up. I do know that the value of listening and seeking understanding is the starting point of every relationship. I believe the pedagogical position I take should enable all students to have the best outcome regardless of any barriers that may pre-exist. In my teaching I try to anticipate and watch for learning barriers and address them through a variety of instructional techniques. Using the principles of inquiry-based instruction and cooperative learning, I attempt to build positivity and collaboration as well as an experience for each student of being valued. Music students come to a teacher bringing with them desire, certain skills and abilities, and shortcomings. Hopefully when they leave my instruction their desire will be intact, their abilities strengthened, and their shortcomings amended. If a student has lacked guidance in their life, then my teaching needs to provide guidance. If they are unfocused in their goals, then I need to provide the grounding to help enable them to establish firm goals. This means interacting with a human being, wherever they are in their own learning curve, and setting into motion challenges, solutions, and successes. That means showing the student who may have been shortchanged by an unequal opportunity that they can make up the loss with the help of a committed teacher who not only teaches the skill but teaches and accepts the whole person. I understand that first generation students are not always prepared for rigorous academic teaching and learning but most of those I have encountered have been smart, eager to learn, and motivated to succeed. I can adjust my curriculum for music majors or for non-majors so that they are compatible with the school’s guidelines for those classes and lessons. I have never changed my expectations for success when there is a need to address skill levels that are lower. There were simply in those instances more pedagogical steps. I believe that the goals for teaching any aspect of music would be the same at a liberal arts college or a state college or a conservatory setting. The goal would be to move the whole person ahead. Musicians have a unique place in a wonderfully diverse world. We are united and connected by our great love for music, which in the end transcends the differences between us. It speaks to our common humanity and causes us to work together, collaborating, aware of our shared paths and of our uniqueness. Vocalists in choirs and instrumentalists in orchestras know that it’s the diversity of the sound brought together that makes the musical experience so rich. This bringing together that which is diverse to make art is a striking model for working and living together in a diverse world.