Teach music

I want to produce television and web-based programs about music. There are so many people who, along with me, find music endlessly fascinating and yet there aren’t many shows on TV, or even the web, that take the task of teaching music seriously.

I want to create shows where professional musicians, as well as hobbyists, talk about music styles/genres, rehearsal techniques, performance tips, and so on. Along with these interviews, each episode will feature live performances.

The primary focus of these programs will be on music, and not on promoting a new cd or upcoming performance, and not about who’s wearing what designer at the Grammy’s!

I started teaching a private student basic music and voice this month! And I will be student teaching next spring!

got a job teaching cello & violin one day a week at this music school near portland. it’s going good, except today this kid invented an aunt that died of cancer just so he wouldn’t have to work during our lesson. sneaky, sneaky.

nothing grandiose – just ittle kiddly-winks doing 2nd grade or 3rd grade piano… i got to teach violin today – felt so inspirational!

To teaching a class at my kids’ elementary school. I was skeptical about how to teach anybody anything about music, since I am mostly self-taught, but she reminded me of how I’ve introduced my kids to music through my experiences.
So, I’m looking forward to hearing from the school about using a music-appreciation kind of approach.

I’m in an interesting and satisfying situation which plays on two senses of “teaching music.” I’m the instructor of a course on the anthropology of music, and part of the course is to learn a form of Cameroonian music which is the focus of my doctoral research. So, in something more like the language of my course, I both teach about music and teach musicking. It’s great! (I think most of my students are happy, too.) The course will be over in a few weeks, and I’ll have to find a new outlet.

Let me preface this by saying that the music class I taught was for infants and toddlers. Thus, I can’t help you if you’re considering a career with Julliard. But, for those of us less grandiose, really it’s just about getting them interested, motivated, and excited. So even if you aren’t sure of skill level, lesson plans, or theory, go for it! Another thing is that for my class all of the money is donate to charity … thus, if they have a bad time, at least they can think they gave the money to a good cause. I understand that for some people donating the money isn’t an option, though. But if it is, it is something to consider both to take pressure off you and to give to a cause you care about.

I have taught piano lessons for 5 years now with only a year of formal piano education myself. Now I will be attending college and majoring in Music Ed. in order to get a better musical foundation to teach from. I’m really excited, and can’t wait to get started!