When I tell people that I work for myself, they often ask: "What do you do?" The easy answer is to tell them that I run a music lessons studio, and that I focus on piano and voice. Despite the fact that I teach sax, composition/songwriting, and music theory as well, this is the shortest answer I can give. Unfortunately, I don't think adding the other subject matters would still do justice to the question, "What do you do?"
What do I really do? I instill leadership through teaching decision making, seeing patterns, critical thinking, and creating a culture where students know they're allowed to ask questions. I teach the need for competence by not only offering information, but leading students to find answers to the problems they face on their own. I teach confidence by teaching students it's ok to fail as long as they can see what happened and learn from it. I teach flexibility through transposition and improvisation. I teach structure and discipline by requiring students to practice, and compassion by acknowledging that music isn't the only thing in their lives that may have required something from them each passing week. We laugh, we cry, we make silly songs and funny noises, all to prove that life can be fun. I remind them that we don't work or labor music, but we play it, so while some things are super serious, life and leadership isn't always about structure or gravitas. And I teach my professional teachers to do the same.
Most music teachers will teach students music and music alone. These students become rigid robotic players with zero ability to analyze more than just the music. These students don't know how to play well with others, both musically and interpersonally. Ascend Music Studios is about taking each student to their own personal next level, both as a musician and as a person. We desire to take each student to the point where they fly high and lead those who would follow.
We are currently cooking up strategies for allowing higher level students to apply for internship positions within the business to teach them how to create these cultures for other students, and build leadership qualities that will serve them for the rest of their lives. No other studio is doing this. I don't think any other studio is competent or confident enough to hire their own students. This is how we thrive! And while we know that we don't know everything, we teach our students how to learn, not just how to play.
Lessons are available on piano, voice, guitar, sax, mandolin, ukulele, songwriting, composition, music theory, ear training, and other instruments.
