TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Pedagogy has always been a passion for me. Sharing my love for music in general and for my instrument, piano, in particular is, for me, as natural and as necessary as it is breathing. I believe true mentorship is the one that has the autonomy of the student as the ultimate goal. Everything that happens in our studio is directed to this goal, to make sure my students are building up their own strategies and their own solid artistic criteria and technical foundation, so that they will not need me, or any other teacher, in the future, other than for specific advice on interpretation or repertoire or for guidance on their careers.

During the time my students spend with me, I make certain they feel confident enough to start developing their own ideas for an interpretation of a piece and use that as a starting point to make them identify difficulties, be them technical or musical, that are getting in the way of their musical idea and come up with strategies on how to overcome them. Having a clear view of music as a means of expression from the very first moment they lay their hands on the keyboard ensures an atmosphere in the studio in which the love for music is shared by everyone present, no matter their level or professional aspirations, and guaranteed to keep students on track and motivated throughout the many hours of practice they spend between their weekly lessons.

In finding the balance between a student’s desires when it comes to repertoire choices and what I believe could be beneficial for them depending on where they are in their learning process, in an almost imperceptible manner, allowing the student to believe the pieces they will be working on during the semester are, without any doubt, the ones they love and need the most, so that they will spend quality time with them; there lies the beauty of my work: to manage the environment in order to promote my students’ own critical thinking with regards to their learning process, in a way as subtle as possible.

One of the most important traits any good teacher must have, especially when working with students on a one-on-one basis, is empathy. This is particularly important when working any form of artistic expression, in which students must feel comfortable and confident to let their own emotions flow through their music. To ensure they will spend the many hours of hard work and repetition to conquer the hardest technical challenges feeling motivated and even eager to face them, it is of utter importance that these are understood as a means to a higher end, which is the emotional message conveyed in the piece.

Darío Llanos Javierre