5001 Three Points Blvd, 1, Mound MN, 55364
Instruments:Piano
Styles:Classical, Jazz, Kids
Levels:Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Experience:12 years
Rate:$45 / hr
Personal Statement
Music, by its nature, is one of the most connective forces of human experience. It creates relational, spiritual and physical bonds. It ties people together across generations and cultures. Music educators are advocators, facilitating the relationship between students and this experience. My teaching philosophy centers on three convections to connect my students with thier musical self. First, I make sure each student is the active participant. They experience by doing, and lessons are full of playing, singing, and moving to help discover a deeper understanding of music. They play, and play well! Second, I love to expose my students to a variety of high-quality musical styles. This includes classical piano scores, contemporary, world, jazz, and pop music. I strive to have each student play pieces that incorporate a wide variety of rhythms, note collections, and structures. My hope is that students will discover new types of music they really enjoy playing and listening to. My third goal in teaching is to raise students who have the freedom and insight to pass thier musical knowledge onto others. “Teach a person to fish” is the mentality. The ultimate goal of any good teacher is that thier knowledge and love of the subject will be passed onto and even bettered by thier students. My greatest hope is that each student, whether they are with me for a year or a decade, will approach the piano with passion and thoughtfulness instead of apprehension and anxiety. If they can do this, they will have the momentum to pass that passion onto others. Music should be another language to communicate with, a talent they claim as their own, and a sanctuary to heal and uplift their soul throughout life.
Education / Training
Piano playing and teaching has been a lifelong passion for me. I received my BA in music from Luther College in 2003 where I studied piano performance and business, sang in various Luther choirs, played in the Jazz Band, and dabbled in composition. From there I moved to Ohio where I received my Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy from Bowling Green State University in 2005. At Bowling Green I was on fellowship teaching courses in Class Piano to undergraduate students and enjoyed teaching my own small studio of piano students. While earning my Master’s I was also a very active accompanist for various ensembles and private music students. I moved back to the Minneapolis area in 2005 and spent the next 5 years teaching private piano lessons at the Mt. Olivet School of Music and Maranatha Christian Academy. At Mt. Olivet I was also the director of the Alleluia Children’s Choir and accompanied regularly. In the winter of 2008 I joined the staff at St. Luke Presbyterian Church where I was the accompanist for Sunday services and choir rehearsals. I have accompanied for hundreds of weddings, funerals, holiday parties and special events. In January of 2011 our first son was born and I have slowly stepped back from my busy working schedule to focus on my private piano studio at home, which I named “Headwaters Music” and where I currently teach private piano lessons to students of all ages and experience levels! Please contact me if you are interested in lessons or piano playing for your special event!