Teaching
Philosophy
Music is a universal human behavior and has been found as an aspect of every culture on the planet. It is an ever pervasive part of life that deserves serious study just as any other human interest like mathematics, science, language, athletics and artistic culture deserves serious study. And therefore it belongs as a core part of educational curriculum for its own sake, just the same as any other area of human interest. It is my personal philosophy that every person has the capacity to understand the world through music. It is my job to help my students realize their full musical potential, and to understand the musical world around them.
My trumpet students learn not only the fundamentals of trumpet playing (pitch and intonation, rhythm, articulation, etc), but they will also learn about the historical and theoretical side of music. It is important for students to learn about how and why music works the way it does (the building blocks: melody, harmony, rhythm, form), because it allows them to "be their own teacher" in the practice room. Knowing the history of music, such as composers, historical contexts, and musical style also informs good performance practice. Whether my students are bare-bones beginners, or advanced students with years of experience, they will all learn fundamentals, music theory and music history.
Approach
Teaching the trumpet is something I am passionate about and something I take seriously. My students are treated as individuals and are taught as individuals. Typically I give weekly lessons between 30-60 minutes in length, one-on-one with the student. Students will be given assignments each week to practice addressing individual areas of need. For example, some students may need more work in flexibility and range and will have exercises assigned that address those issues, whereas other students may need help with rhythm and tempo and will have exercises addressed for that. In short, I do not prescribe to a "one-size fits all" approach to teaching. While I do have a standard curriculum for beginners and standard lesson books that all of my students work out of, the exercises I assign, and the lesson itself, will address those areas each student needs as an individual.
I understand that not everyone will grow up to become a professional trumpet player, but I do expect my students to practice regularly and take an active interest in their own music learning. While I do my best to make sure my students are progressing and learning, I also take a 50-50 approach to teaching. There are many cliches that help illustrate the teacher-student relationship ("It takes 2 to tango", "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink", etc), and most of them have a bit of truth. At the end of the day, I am there to push the student along 50% of the way, but it is up to the student (with help from parents) to take themselves the other 50% of the way.
Experience
Scott has had over 7 years of professional teaching experience. He has had numerous private studios in Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids, Iowa and in New Haven, Connecticut. Scott taught trumpet lessons at the University of Minnesota during the 2006-2007 academic year, as well as at Yale University during the 2003-2004 academic year. He is currently the trumpet instructor at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music and in the Community Partnerships Program with the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis. In addition, he has been in demand across the midwest giving masterclasses and lectures about the history of the cornetto at the University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin at River Falls, Saint Olaf College and the University of Northern Iowa.