Chris B  

5

  5.0 (3)

Instruments: Voice, Music
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Hip Hop, Showtunes, Spirituals, Soul

I am privileged to have begun my journey as an educator at a young age. In both my Junior & Senior year of high school, I worked alongside the music department faculty as an intern, facilitating meaningful experiences and fostering fruitful knowledge for a wide demographic of students, K-12. These experiences highlighted the roots of an innate aspiration to aid others in achieving personal success. I began my studies in Music Education at The Pennsylvania State University where I began to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the pedagogical elements involved with effective teaching. Throughout the extent of my degree studies, my knowledge has only been extended through both study and application, having worked as an individual coach for a variety of age groups, as-well as having served as the Vocal Director for various productions at my institution. The most significant take-away from my experiences, however, has no relation to curriculum or pedagogy, but to the individuals involved in meaningful music making. Music is about invoking a response, both within yourself and in those listening. As a student, it is often easy to be overcome by the challenges of your instrument. As a teacher, it is often easy to be overcome by the doubts of your efforts. What is important is to remember what we are doing and to center our efforts around the reason we engage in what we do - the art behind it.

What we are doing is such a vulnerable art form, and I feel that it is necessary that we first understand one another as individuals before any music is to occur! During the first 15-20 minutes of our lesson, I will typically begin by asking various questions that will help me better understand the student and the goals of which we will be working towards. Following a brief introduction of myself , I will offer an opportunity for students to ask any questions they'd like to know about me or my personal journey. We'll then discuss the lay of the land - sort of what we'll be doing together and how exactly it will work! After an initial introduction, the student will be asked to complete a goal statement where we will identify three core goals, regardless of simplicity or complexity (though I would encourage reasonably obtainable goals) that we will use as the basis of our work together for an indefinite period of time. When a student feels that they have obtained a goal from their statement, they will be asked to identify a new goal that extends upon their newly learned skillset. These progresses will be documented as a tangible representation of each student's journey as they continue to develop their instrument. A brief evaluation of the voice will be done with a few short warm-up exercises and the student will be asked to sing a song of their choice. From my observations, I will develop a unique plan that will work to achieve the goals of the student in alignment with the current position of their instrument.