Mina J
Instruments: Piano, Clarinet, Music
Styles: Classical, Pop, Rock, Musical Theater, Showtunes, Marching Band
Mina J
Instruments: Piano, Clarinet, Music
Styles:
Classical, Pop, Rock, Musical Theater, Showtunes, Marching Band
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 3-80
Bachelor Degree: University of Iowa
2015-2018 - Iowa All-State
2019 - Orfeo Music Festival, Vipiteno Italy
2019 - Young Adult Performance Series at Carnegie Hall
2009 - IMTA State Piano Winner
I am a graduate from the University of Iowa, where I received a BM in Clarinet Performance. I am from Iowa City and started playing piano at the age of four at the Preucil School of Music. When I was eight, I won the Iowa Music Teachers Association statewide piano competition. When I was ten, I started playing the clarinet. I am a three-year Iowa All-Stater, and I played at Carnegie Hall as part of the Young Adult Honors Performance Series band as well as in the Orfeo Music Festival in Vipiteno, Italy. I originally attended Drake University, studying Clarinet Performance and Magazine Media, and then transferred to the University of Iowa. I have studied with Bart Yates, Clarence Padilla, Michael Dean, and Jorge Montilla Moreno. Recently, I have played in masterclasses for Anton Rist and Jonathan Hadas. Currently, I play clarinet and saxophone in local theatre and opera productions including Three Decembers, Footloose the Musical, and The Drowsy Chaperone.
I have been tutoring since I was 12. I started out giving chess lessons to elementary students, then started teaching clarinet in 2019. I officially opened my first studio in 2023 and also teach at a local music school in North Liberty. I grew up in Iowa City and participated in band, orchestra, and choir at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. My goal is to continue to encourage students to be involved in music and help each student achieve their specific goals through individualized lesson plans. I believe that music should be fun and enjoyable in addition to educational. Whether you or your child wants to make honor bands or just play Disney music, I am committed to helping my students achieve their goals and grow as musicians.
I am willing to teach out of any books my students bring to me! However, I usually start wind students with the Standard of Excellence books, since that is what local elementary schools use. Younger piano students start in the "My First Piano" series of books, then graduate to the Piano Adventures series of books. This set includes lesson books, performance books, and theory books, and can take students from a young beginner level to junior high/high school advanced playing. These are my favorite books to use because of the consistency between levels and diversity in playing and writing and listening activities.
My goal is to make sure every student has fun with their instrument. Nothing is worse than seeing a student hate their instrument because they are forced to play. I have supplemented scales and technical exercises with rock music, church music, and Disney songs to keep each child engaged! If a student is self-motivated, they are more likely to practice on their own, continue finding new music to play, and want to advance their skill level to play more challenging repertoire. I do believe in technician skills, scales, repetition, and theory, but it's important to cultivate individual lesson plans to make sure each student is motivated and enjoying the music they are playing.
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