Benjamin T
Instruments: Piano
Styles: Classical
Benjamin T
Instruments: Piano
Styles:
Classical
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 10-80
MM, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Composition BM, University of New Hampshire, Music Theory
My musical background is eclectic. Most of my training is in music composition and theory; I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Master's of Music degree in Composition, and from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theory. I regard composition as my primary musical skill. However, I've agressively sought to master a large amount of piano music over the course of about twenty years, and my technique has subsequently advanced to a high level. I've performed in a solo capacity and as an accompanist with chamber ensembles as well as large ensembles. I believe my compositional experience informs the other aspects of my musical life.
I began teaching private piano lessons while pursuing my Bachelor of Music at the University of New Hampshire, via the university-sponsored "Piano Extension Program". This program allowed undergraduate students with sufficient skills in piano performance to gain experience teaching a small number of students on a weekly basis. Students benefited from monthly group sessions, which were set up like master classes and designed to give everyone a chance to show off their newly acquired skills. This was all a lot of fun; I taught through P.E.P. for four years, and then through a special allowance continued to teach a large number of students for an additional year after graduation. After that, I went on to pursue my Master of Music at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, simultaneously receiving a teaching assistantship which enabled me to go to school for free and receive a modest salary in addition. My duties as a T.A. involved giving lectures and leading discussions on music appreciation, grading papers, preparing personal lesson plans when necessary, and giving students extra help after class. This experience introduced me to the pleasures and challenges of managing a one hundred person class; I emerged with new personal insights into the nature of higher education.
I'm not opposed in principle to using any particular series of method books, and I can understand the advantages of using, say, the Bastien Piano Basics series to introduce music fundamentals. That said, I haven't found any pre-made lesson plans or materials that work for everybody. It seems like it's best to gauge what book, repertoire, and approach is best for each student based on the first few lessons, and customize the experience from that point on.
When I finish teaching a lesson, I often feel like I've either learned something new or have been reminded of something fundamental about music. For example, it's very good for the health of my own piano technique to be able to explain basic piano technique to someone else. I think it's this "selfish" element of teaching that most characterizes my approach to private lessons--I try to treat every lesson as an opportunity for my personal growth as well as theirs, and I try to do this by communicating a genuine passion for music. For this reason, I try to frame lessons in such a way that an eye is always kept towards the future--there's a balance to be found between the need for a student to go at his or her own pace and the need to anticipate each new step in that student's musical journey.
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