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BA, Grace Bible College, Music (Worship Arts)
2015 - Vernon H. Stromberg Worship Arts Award
2015 - Became Worship Coordinator at Frontline Bible Church
2015 - Who's Who Award
2014 - Became Music Theory Assistant at Grace Bible College
I am a person filled with life and energy. I love people, and I love seeing them succeed in what they do. I graduated from Grace Bible College in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music (Worship Arts). I've been involved with music since I was about eight years old, writing songs, recording albums of my own compositions, performing at church and at my own concerts. I toured the U.S. with the Grace Singers vocal group and the Grace Bible College Men's Quartet. I've been blessed to have been Worship Leader at LifeTrak Community Church in Caledonia, MI; Life Church in Grandville, MI; and most recently, Worship Coordinator at Frontline Bible Church in Byron Center, MI, where I am today.
My teaching started when I was young - probably in my early teens. I was very excited to share with others all of the "cool things" I was learning on the guitar and with my voice, and I began helping others to find the same excitement for themselves as I taught them how to develop their own abilities. After I graduated college, this teaching grew and I took on a number of students. Watching the students grow is always the best part. When students really put in the time and practice, it's amazing what can be done. I had one student who some would have said was "tone deaf," but now she is making great progress holding tunes and singing songs, strengthening her voice and building confidence. I can't wait to see what the future holds!
My methodology is based on the student's goals and desires. For guitar, I prefer to start with an understanding of the strings and notes rather than jumping straight into chords. That way the student has an understanding of the building blocks first. From there we can progress to timing, chords, strumming patterns, and so on, depending on the ability of the student. For voice, my teaching is based off of a combination of many methods I've learned over the years, from Speech Level Singing, to Classical/Bel Canto, to Ken Tamplin/Phil Moufarrege style teaching. What it boils down to is good posture, proper breathing, healthy support, efficient vocal cord closure, and exercises designed to strengthen and stretch the voice. For piano, I teach primarily from the standpoint of the theory behind music, since piano is such an excellent instrument with which to "see" music. Then we can take that music theory knowledge and use it one step further to learn how to compose music. The student will even find that they discover new and more colorful ways to play the repertoire they already enjoy.
I love seeing people succeed. My whole philosophy of teaching revolves around the idea of having students discover the answers for themselves - to realize, in some sense, that they knew the answer all along. Yes, I guide students to where they need to be, but my approach is one of "teaching a man to fish" rather than merely giving all of the answers away. I ask questions that help students to think and recall what they've learned, as well as work through new problems to see how they can be solved. The big thing is understanding "why" things work the way they do, and not just "how." That way, at the end of the day, if students grasp the "why," they find that they have the tools they need to succeed and grow on their own, even when I'm no longer present.