I want my music classroom to be a place to build trust and relationships with understanding and empathy. We will also work to increase our skills for personal expression and gain conceptual understanding of the world of music. However, building cultural and social community is our foundation.

Performing, studying, and teaching in other countries have broadened my perspective of this community. My recent years in Turkey and Argentina were especially impactful. Strengthening character traits through collaborative teamwork is an essential part of the learning process in music.

I believe diverse community is a very helpful in reinforcing musical concepts and skills as well as inquiry and problem-solving. Students can and should become more adept at incorporating other perspectives into their musical tastes and expressions of life’s stories in the performing arts. .