Catherine K  

5

  5.0 (8)

Instruments: Piano, Clarinet, Recorder, Bassoon
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, Folk, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Showtunes, Spirituals, Swing, Marching Band, Avant-garde

I began teaching while at music college, and soon found that I enjoyed imparting my love of music to others more than I enjoyed performing myself! I have been teaching private lessons at home and in students’ homes for 10 years. I taught classroom music in school in the UK for 5 years before my move to the USA. I like to allow my teaching style and repertoire to be somewhat directed by the student, while making sure that the music they are playing is a suitable difficulty and teaching them a rounded technique. This usually leads to a mixture of classical, contemporary and jazz or musical theatre. I believe that a student needs to be enjoying their lessons and their practice and if they do then they will make the most progress. I make my lessons fun and encourage students to perform whenever they get the opportunity. Performing is a great motivator as is playing in a band or orchestra. Playing music brings something special to every students life and I’m always looking to help share the music with new students both young and old!

I use a mixture of my own custom lesson plans as well as working from a book if the student is a beginner. I use different books for different instruments but I don’t like to rely on them completely as all students learn at different rates and have different strengths and weaknesses. So sometimes I will source more music or activities from elsewhere or miss pieces or sections out. Once a beginner has grasped the very basics I quickly find them some repertoire they want to work on so they can play a ‘real piece of music’. I find that students love that first realisation that they really can play their instrument. For more advanced students or adults we work on repertoire they like and that will push them forward. What is most important is to keep lessons and practice fun and engaging, whether by playing music the student likes or by achieving a goal such as a recital or competition.