Our philosophy

All WSM instructors have at least 10 years of teaching experience (the 2010-11 average is 24.7 years), and are also active as professional  performers at a very high level. This difference is absolutely at the heart of your WSM experience!

Our philosophy is that while very few students may end up playing professionally, they all deserve the best we can offer them. They deserve instructors who know not only the “how”, but also the “why”, instructors who have directly experienced both the joys and the challenges of a life in music. As WSM faculty members, we are happy and proud to share that experience with you!

As teachers with many years of experience in a variety of settings, we are very familiar with the issues that parents encounter while supporting their children’s learning. We understand what it takes to help a child build self-confidence, establish a practice routine, develop self-discipline and, above all, to discover and enjoy his or her own unique musical voice.

Having traveled that road successfully ourselves in our own careers, we feel privileged to lead others along that same path.

In addition, as active professional performers we are constantly reaching higher and demanding more of our own selves as musicians, taking what we learn from this process, refining it, and sharing that learning with our students. We love to play and love the learning process, and we teach because we want to, not because we have to!  

How the WSM philosophy came to be

My teaching and performing lives have always been integrally related. I started teaching while still a student. Later, although my performing and touring schedule with the London Philharmonic did not allow for much free time, I continued to both take and give lessons when possible, always eager to deepen my understanding of the “hows” of playing the violin.

Now, as concertmaster of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, I hold a position which demands personal dedication and commitment to the highest standards of performance. I've observed that this has a directly positive effect on my teaching.

My students benefit from my constant search to improve and refine my own playing. I benefit from their need for clear and helpful direction from me. As I guide them to develop the building blocks of technique and musicality, I find I constantly refine my own understanding.

When I expanded WVS to Wayland School of Music in 2007 and looked for other instructors to join me, it was clear to me that I wanted nothing less from my colleagues. This is at the foundation of WSM's hiring policy.

 

Please contact us for more information, or to set up a “try-out” lesson.

To learn more about individual faculty members, please click here.