Humble Beginnings
At the age of fourteen, my older sister left for college, and in her absence, her students needed a new teacher. Having no teaching experience, and no instruction on how to teach, I was hesitant to accept students. However, I thought maybe the best way to learn was through hands-on learning, so I started my studio with three students. At the age of sixteen, I was asked to teach in a local music studio. While I loved my students, I knew that my teaching lacked much-needed instruction. When my students started running into problems that I could not solve, something had to change. My students were discouraged, bored, disengaged, and lacked progress. Teaching became stressful as I unsuccessfully scrambled to find solutions.
Further Education
Desiring to be an effective teacher, I left home to pursue a degree in violin pedagogy, piano pedagogy, and violin performance. While I am not yet finished with my degree, what I have learned has equipped me to teach at a higher level. I abandoned the teaching style that left my students feeling discouraged, disengaged, and dissatisfied. Adopting the new teaching methods from my college education transformed the way I interacted with students, presented musical concepts, and how I viewed my role as an educator. Now my students are excited, engaged, inquisitive, and making fantastic strides in their musical journey.
Not your average music lessons…
My current teaching style incorporates various elements of the Suzuki Method and personal teaching discoveries. All people are unique, so why enroll in cookie-cutter lessons? In my studio, I craft each lesson to the needs, interests, and ambitions of the student.
Emily was my son and daughter's very first violin teacher. Emily was patient, kind, and was fantastic at cultivating a love of music and of the violin with my children. She worked tirelessly at trying to make sure they not only loved to play, but that they learned the right way with proper bow holds and posture. Her love for music lives in my children as they continue learning the violin. I will be forever grateful to Emily for helping my children progress from screeching violin sounds to recognizable music, and I can't recommend her highly enough!
- Sara Bower, parent.