I grew up in a family that appreciated music, and instead of playing instruments, they played recordings. As a child, I fell in love with songs from "The Lion King", "Pocahantas", and "Nightmare Before Christmas", and would sing them daily. As I grew older and became a teenager, I developed deep appreciation for film scores, and their ability to capture and develop the moods and power of scenes. Music became very serious to me, as I was soon going through unfamiliar and unsorted times of my life, with nothing to accompany except the soundtrack I chose, either by a recording, or a piece I had written myself. Music became my outlet, as well as my way of making sense of things. It was a practice in meditation as well as an identity.

 

Every culture experiences music the way I do in some way or another, and as human beings, it is one thing that can truly bring us together. It moves us together, which is why a very common first-date question is, "What kind of music are you into?"

 

As an educator, I mean to bring out musical experiences in children that are natural to them. Every child has a heartbeat, and a means to rhythm. We all experience time as a concept we can't control, but I mean to teach children how to harness it into something they can use. I mean to teach them how to shape their voices into unity or harmony with others, and experience community in a way they never have before. And I intend to give all children a voice and a place to discover themselves.

 

For those who choose to further their skills into an ensemble such as orchestra, I will go beyond basics to give them the tools they need to create music. They will learn how to listen objectively to themselves, and every day reflect on how to improve today's performance for tomorrow. They will learn the discipline skills needed to improve their performance, and how to make the most out of their home practice time. They will learn how to be instrumentalists, and while they will be receiving streams of information from my direction, they will also learn how to be responsible for their own learning. The most important aspect of playing an instrument is the individual behind it.