My teaching philosophy

My goal is to teach my students how to teach themselves. Watching them develop and thrive is exciting and extremely gratifying. I find it crucial to help students maintain or reignite the passion and excitement that initially attracted them to music and the study of the humanities. To do this, I share my enthusiasm for play and experimentation in composition, I demonstrate that there is great value in any type of music, and I encourage them to explore topics that they find interesting and to create the music they enjoy at a high artistic level. My syllabi include a variety of pieces—ranging from Vivaldi to Saariaho and Joanna Newsom to Bomba Estereo—as well as visits from young composers, all of which enable students to find artists that they relate to, while broadening their imaginations and skills.

During class time, I maintain a light, informal atmosphere so that everyone feels comfortable expressing their opinions and asking questions. Presentations and discussions while sitting in a circle teach critical thinking and normalize offering and accepting constructive criticism. In all courses I teach, I value one-on-one time with my students, as I understand that they have unique ways of learning and interacting with the material. Early on, I establish a common YouTube playlist where everyone can add their favorite music, so that they can remain engaged with the course and one another.

When teaching the introductory composition course Materials and Design to non-music majors, it was important to help students find a place for themselves in the field of music composition and to see themselves as young composers. Through techniques such as graphic or text scores, even students who were unfamiliar with Western classical notation could create musical scores, which were then performed in class by their peers and professional performers. The course started with a sound walk, which emphasized the importance of our surroundings as part of our sonic world and reminded students to be attuned to the inspiration that stems from the tiniest sounds in their surroundings. The syllabus included pieces ranging from Vivaldi to Saariaho and Joanna Newsom to Bomba Estereo as well as visits from other young composers, which enabled students to find something or someone that they could relate to while broadening their imaginations and knowledge. Early in the course, we created a YouTube playlist, which students added music to throughout the quarter. The course also included a visit from the Puerto Rican percussion group Plena Libre, who discussed improvisation and composing without using traditional notation. Throughout the course, students’ understanding of what music is and can be started to shift, and most importantly, they gained confidence in themselves as artists and creators.

When teaching composition to music majors, the objectives and pace were different from teaching non-majors, but it was equally important for me to cultivate the students’ confidence and encourage them to explore and pursue their own interests in depth. The music majors’ composition course was technical at first, with composition exercises that included aspects from music analyses explored in class. For instance, students were asked to compose a short piece based on only two intervals or to create a piano piece only using symmetrical chords. Composition assignments became progressively more flexible throughout the course, and often students had two prompts based on their interests from which to choose. Toward the end of the course, the class had a long, round-table discussion about music that responded to current events and the significance of music, and art in general, in times of sociopolitical instability. This discussion placed the course in a context in which students understood that their work could have an impact on the world around them and gave them an opportunity to discuss and explore their many roles as creators and citizens.

In all courses I taught, establishing a common YouTube playlist after the first class engaged the students with the course and one another, encouraged them to get to know their classmates, taught them to be accepting and respectful of others’ tastes, and assured them that their interests mattered. Students added music to the playlist in their own time throughout the course, and we often had short discussions about the latest additions, as most were excited about the new music they had discovered in the process. Furthermore, students were asked to post responses to assigned readings in blog postings and interact with one another by responding to others’ posts. This created an informal, lively discussion about class topics outside official class time. It allowed students to interact with the topics without the stress of being graded and gave me the opportunity to assess, rather than formally evaluate, students’ interests, perspectives, and learning progress.

During class time, I strived to maintain a light, informal atmosphere so that students would feel comfortable expressing their opinions and not hesitate to ask questions. Short student presentations and discussions while sitting in a circle kept everyone engaged and encouraged them to give each other feedback when presenting their composition assignments. Additionally, assignments that called for pieces to be performed in class by groups of or all students, such as text-score and video-score assignments, proved to be an excellent way of making them active members of the creative process and helping them reach a comfort level with their classmates that made in-class discussions even more productive.

In all courses I taught, I valued one-on-one time with my students, as I understood that their backgrounds and interests varied, that they had diverse ways of interacting with the material, and that comfort levels with in-class discussions varied. I found it particularly important to schedule short private lessons with all students to discuss their music in depth, give specific suggestions and feedback, and provide support and encouragement regarding issues that arose in the creative process. Many times, students asked for additional meetings to discuss their work, and I was happy that they trusted me to give them feedback on the music they were creating for projects outside our course. It was extremely rewarding when students asked for help in exploring their future options in the field of music composition, and I was excited to share the resources that I discovered as an active composer.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I taught composition for music majors online, which posed a new set of challenges, including having to find a new way of achieving the informal, collegiate atmosphere that I strived for in class. The YouTube playlist and blog posts gained added importance, along with the Zoom breakout room function, as they allowed students to discuss class topics through assigned prompts or analyze musical passages in small groups and give short group presentations to the rest of the class. Visits from composers and instrumentalists became easier, as I could invite them to join us from all around the world and invited performers could record student pieces and feedback and easily share them with the entire class. Additionally, it was easy and practical to screen record the step-by-step processes of using music software, as well as certain composition and analysis techniques, and upload them to the class website. Students could watch and follow these recordings at their own pace and were able to access them whenever they needed them throughout the course, making this an effective tool that I will continue to use even when teaching in person. While all my students had access to a computer and internet connection, it became even more essential to remind them that they can be part of the world of music composition, regardless of their socioeconomic positions and backgrounds, by using music software and services that are free or open-source.

Teaching keeps my perspective on music fresh and broad, making it extremely rewarding and inspiring.It challenges me to explore and present music and topics in different ways and to be receptive to new ideas and concepts, while reminding me of the beauty and excitement of the creative process. Reconnecting with a familiar piece of music or exploring a new work through the ears and eyes of a young composer is a uniquely inspiring and exhilarating feeling and revitalizes my passion for teaching and creating every day. Finally, observing young musicians as they explore their own paths and follow their own curiosities gives me a glimpse of a bright and exciting musical future, of which I am humbled to be a small part.

I am dedicated to maintaining a fair and inclusive environment inside and outside the classroom. For my thoughts on diversity and inclusion in the university setting, please click here.

For sample assignments, please click here.

For sample syllabi, please click here.

For student evaluations, please click here.