About My Teaching Philosophy: Reflections on Booneshaft

As I learn the art (and science) of teaching formally, I find that I agree with much of the insights of Peter Booneshaft in his book Teaching Music with Purpose. In particular, I relate to his discussion on the powerful personality in a very personal way:

Booneshaft's discussion of the powerful personality is one that causes me to think about the most memorable of my own music teachers.  I am reminded of D. Jack Moses, a choir conductor at the HBCU that I spent my freshman college year attending.  It was in D. Jack's choir (that I reluctantly joined because there was not an orchestra as I had expected) that I learned about the rich history of the Negro Spiritual, and of the legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers.  We learned the nuances of proper pronunciation and how to move an audience emotionally.  I also learned that the organist kept making goo-goo eyes at the tenor section (because one day, D.Jack suddenly turned the organ around 180 degrees -  with the organist still seated at it),  and that we were absolutely not to join the school protests that were raging on campus at the time (because D. Jack was personal friends with the embattled college president).  I learned how one can be gifted with talent and throw it away (when one of our basses sang O Holy Night, it could make the devil cry, but he was an alcoholic. D. Jack hated that so much but never kicked him out of the choir).  Once D. Jack's hair turned green from a bad hair-dye job, and upon entering the choir room that day simply roared, "No one say a word!"  We all knew what had happened, but we did not say a word about his hair.

D. Jack knew that I played the cello, and his entire countenance would glow when he told me how much he loved the cello solo in Saint Saens' The Swan. He would often put me on a pedestal before the other students because of the classical training in music that I had and that they for the most part lacked, but I believe he did it to make then aware of the reality that there was nothing wrong about being black and being interested in classical music.

Yes, I not only learned about music that year, I learned about life.  And it was D. Jack who delivered those lessons. D. Jack Moses had fiery, passionate presence that you ignored at your peril. In all of his madness, he brought out the best in us, and even though years later I found out that he faked his diploma from Julliard and was forced to resign in disgrace, I will never forget the man or his passion for the music.

My teaching philosophy:

• Lifelong learning
• Spoonfeed only for a short time
• Remember why we do this (we love it)
• Speak softly to draw them in