Zach | Teacher #3054

Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher, my goal is to pass on knowledge and encourage students to study. More specifically, as a musicologist, I introduce students to a typical repertoire of musical works and then ask them to describe their reactions to the music. This approach not only introduces students to the repertoire but also teaches them autonomous critical listening and thinking skills. To this purpose, I am looking for a balance between teaching and asking students to make discoveries for themselves. In the belief excellent teaching is dependent on intellectual exchange, I urge students to engage with the issue at hand, with me, with each other. My method of student assessment reflects my two objectives. First, the student is required to master basic information by demonstrating familiarity with the composers, works, terms, and concepts studied in the clarinet work. Second, students are given the opportunity to reflect on the information through daily practice, performance, and lessons that emphasize the critical thinking and listening skill learned during the semester. Despite the fact that my expectations are high, I support student after lesson by providing extra lesson hours, review sessions, and preparing orchestra jobs and such working opportunities, in order to help the students become more prepared for a professional career after they graduate. I believe in a flexible teaching style that adapts to the particular setting of each lesson. While giving a large lecture or a small in-person class, I am mindful of the diverse experiences and temperaments of the students in order to help them develop their strengths while improving their weaknesses. Each student can increase his/her capacity to listen and understand a piece of music regardless of background. Throughout lectures, discussions, and assignments, I demonstrate that music responds to a variety of modes of inquiry, including analytical, hermeneutical, cultural, and historical inquiry. As a result, students are equipped to explore the possibilities of each perspective and are encouraged to look beyond their own experience in order to broaden their playing skills. As a result, I increased a student’s ability to understand, critically-thinking, listening, and practice music with a fresh sense of its aesthetic and humanistic aspects.