Philosophy of Education

 

Being proactively involved in the educational process is an important aspect of my career and life. For more than two decades, I have been passionately engaged in the process of teaching, demonstrating, guiding and providing an educational foundation to my students. I currently instruct music and art both privately and in-group settings. In 2011 I was hired to design and implement an educational arts workshop program for Homeless Healthcare, Los Angeles, and it was thrilling to have brought this amazing experience to an underserved population. With the right mixture of encouragement and support, my students excelled. This was a major turning point in my desire to become a formal educator.  


Looking to my early years, I see that this motivation to share and inspire knowledge came from different avenues, firstly from my parents. My father is a mechanical engineer, educator and jazz trombonist. My mother is a concert pianist, writer, composer and music educator. Together, they demonstrated to me at an early age the value of passionate mentorship through patience, encouragement and the satisfaction of hard work. Secondly, from those few instructors who encouraged me to press on when it was most difficult.

The importance of teaching has to do with the importance of passing along knowledge, information and skills. The learning process is a crucial aspect of human evolution, be this throughout the centuries or ones life span. Personal and cultural progress is made through the practice of teaching. In addition, teaching will assist a society in progressing forward. An education (particularly higher education) will help secure a firmly fixed and confident place in society for its citizens.

The educational process in no way something that can be negated, as it is the foundation and vehicle for each citizen and a society in large to continuously move forward. Without a through education and the support of caring and qualified teachers, an individual’s life will lag, go limp and society will fall apart into a dystopian anarchy.

The successful educator can never stop being a student. Learning, the educational process, personal evolution and transformation through education has to be a life long pursuit of personal growth.  One needs to stay a few steps ahead of their students not only for technical reasons but also to have a stronger, more grounded grasp on theory and concept.  The educator’s task is to engage and inspire their students in a positive and supportive manner. challenging the students to progress through the process of their work.