Cristina L
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Oboe, Music
Styles: Classical, Folk
Cristina L
Instruments: Piano, Guitar, Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Oboe, Music
Styles:
Classical, Folk
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 10-80
I'm a multi-instrumentalist who loves making music with other people. Making music is a fundamental human experience, and too many people feel that it is out of reach for them, or that the only way to participate in music-making is to play in a band or orchestra. I fully believe that there are many valid ways of learning and playing music, as well as calling yourself a musician. My journey has not been typical for a musician: after a lifetime of casual music-making, I decided at the age of 43 to go back to school for a degree in Music Education from The University of Arizona. I love bringing music to new students!
I have been teaching in classrooms and after-school programs for over twenty years, and in 2023 began teaching music lessons in my home studio. I grew up playing music and participating in school bands and orchestras, but spent the first half of my adulthood in careers unrelated to music. I have found that my formal music education did not prepare me for the music-making that I find most rewarding today--making music collaboratively and casually with friends. It's that kind of experience that I want to empower my students to have.
I tailor my teaching to each student's needs and interests. I emphasize overall musicianship in addition to learning to the fundamentals of the particular instrument, splitting most lessons 50/50 between fundamentals on the instrument and musicianship skills such as music theory, sight-reading, sight-singing, playing by ear, and composition or improvisation. For students in a school band or orchestra program, I will work with them on their band music and bring in additional material as enrichment.
I love making music and helping students to be confident making music. I know that life can get busy and students won't always be able to practice every day, so I set realistic goals for them and emphasize that even just a little bit of (focused) practice is much better than no practice at all. The most important thing is that students feel like they are making progress and are enjoying the process, rather than checking off a box of drudgery every day just to check it off. Knowing that students get variable time to practice between lessons, I make the most of lesson time itself, working on musicianship while giving the face a break (for wind instruments).
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