Core Values

 

 

 

In addition to teaching and performing classical guitar I’ve spent my career working with young children; thousands of them. One of the things I enjoyed most was making groups of children laugh hysterically. I felt they had the rest of their lives to be serious, stressed and burdened so it would be beneficial to subject them to a little (well lots really) of levity early in life. Not surprisingly they wanted to come to their music class because the teacher was zany and none of it was terribly serious. This was my secret weapon and my classes were usually full. 

 

In many locations I was purportedly teaching a blend of Kodaly and Orff methodologies. I used Adlerian psychology, operant psychology, family systems theory, group management techniques, children's books, pure silliness, magic tricks and anything else I could think of to introduce the building blocks of music; rhythm, tempo, dynamics, timbre and expressivity. Like all teachers I had successes and failures. I take responsibility for the failures and I did my best to learn from them and develop my skills. 

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My teaching career has spanned the period where computers and cell phones were virtually non-existent to their now complete ubiquity. Where is it all heading? Who knows. Is it good or bad, again who knows. Will parenting be replaced by technology and will teachers and musicians be replaced by app’s…yikes!

 

I’ve observed the amazing bond between parent and child for years and I’ve raised my own. Can we get past our own personal and national self interest and genuinely embrace the realization that we are all one big family and all children are our future? If we can, surely we will act with the urgency needed to come to grips with the issues that loom large for humanity, and… what a wonderful world this will be!  

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