Teaching Philosophy

 Connecting sensation, imagination and intellect to thrive

My teaching has at its core a quite simple philosophy:  Any student I meet is a unique and complex individual who I want to listen to and observe in order to challenge and inspire him or her in the most effective way. I strongly believe in the power of developing the person as a whole to grow and instill the ability to listen, to be curious and learn with confidence.

Together with students I aim to ignite their love of music. With an open and humble attitude (leaving our ego out), we explore how to use their body as well as their mind most effectively in achieving their goals. We then look for practical, physical and mental tools to enable expression of ideas to flow freely on the cello

Ultimately I consider my job a success when my students grow into independent and audacious cellists who love to learn and understand the power that music has for themselves and their environment.

Imagination and Expression

Using metaphors helps me bring to life and simplify sometimes abstract and creative concepts found in music.

I use improvisation as a pure way of expression and a fun way to learn and develop technique.

I often ask my students to improvise on the feeling or ideas they experience at a given moment. This allows them to connect with the ability to express freely on the cello without preconceived ideas, expectations or written rules. Experiencing this freedom is a gateway to autonomous expression or interpretation. Improvisation enables the cellist to be problem solving and find the most suitable technical tools on their instrument, to best translate their feelings and ideas. 

Curiosity over judgment

I believe it is helpful to think there is no ‘wrong’ in the arts, there is only ‘different’.

It is great to see students surprised by their own ability when freeing the mind of unhelpful thoughts. This key element in my teaching is enabling students to observe their thoughts, and consciously decide which ones to use. Playing without fear or judgement enables their body to move freely as well as use a calm confident technique.

Replacing judgement and anxiety with curiosity is the key to successful implementation of what they have learned and aim to bring across.

Mind over Matter

I teach my pupils to clarify in their head what they aim to do (both technically and artistically), so they confidently direct their body in playing. Often the more challenging thing here is not the understanding of what they want, but the way in which they go about implementing their plan and knowledge with patience.

Matter over Mind

Often we tend to be in a rush and distrust our ability in obtaining the ‘right’ result.  So we ‘act’ and we ‘do’ before we realize what skill is already present in our body memory. By learning to observe your playing, you distract yourself from pushing and allow your body to move as it has learned. I call this Matter over Mind.

Musical understanding: A student must also be equipped with a strong musical and analytical facility. Students must be taught how to practice but also what can be found in a score, the contextual background of a piece. An open dialogue between teacher and student on all such subjects is essential.

Group classes: Peer review is crucial and fun for individual development. Playing for and with fellow students in performance scenarios and technical exercises helps each student strengthen and solidify their own artistic voice. The ability to take feedback, verbalize opinions, and give encouragement among students are essential to the individual’s health and growth.