Teaching
Teaching
I have more than 25 years of experience teaching clarinet. I can help you work on fundamentals, develop your sense of phrasing, musicality and prepare for auditions. I teach online or in person from a private studio in New York City.
I'm on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege, Hunter College and Fordham University.
I coach chamber music for the
Chamber Music Center of New York and for the
Alaria Chamber Ensemble program.
Additionally, I am the founder and co-coordinator of the
NEPP Mentoring Program.
Teaching philosophy
Over the years I have developed my own exercises which sequentially build on all fundamentals, beginning with simple long tone exercises to challenging scales and arpeggios patterns. I believe these skills provide the students the discipline and commitment needed to succeed as musicians. I also guide my students by having them listen to great recordings and do research on their own about their repertoire. This process enables them to become more independent with their own musical growth and ultimately find their unique path. Every student I work with, regardless of their level, offers me an opportunity to further develop my own understanding of these concepts. I believe it is these fundamentals that provide the building blocks for any student I work with.
Each academic year I require my students to perform in studio classes, competitions, take auditions and prepare solo recitals featuring repertoire that focuses on technical difficulties specific to each of them. Many of my former students have been accepted in colleges with reputable music programs including University of Michigan, the Hartt School, Ithaca College in addition to summer programs such as Tanglewood and the Snow Pond Music Festival.
For more than 25 years I have had the opportunity to teach talented students from diverse populations. Some of them have come from the Interschool Orchestras of New York or El Sistema
programs such as Up Beat
in the Bronx. Regardless of their background, I strive to cultivate a great relationship with each of my students by establishing a learning environment that is based on constructive criticism, trust and support. It is important for me to understand their personal circumstances and challenges in order to find the best pedagogical approach to teach them.
