TEACHING

It may seem redundant to emphasize that we are very strongly committed to teaching our students, but there are some important cultural and philosophical issues which must be explained so that you fully understand how important such a commitment really is.

Talent: It is the philosophy of KMI that all students deserve a music education regardless of talent. We are not in the business of talent hunting, or grooming the next generation of professional musicians. The vast majority of music students have no interest in pursuing music professionally and likely do not have the talent to land a performance career. Therefore, we will never tell a student or parents that music lessons are a waste of time or a waste of money because of talent. We will continue to teach all students who come to us with a desire to learn.

Effort: We realize that many students will barely practice and often not do all their assignments. Instead of sending the student home with only a reprimand, we will always work to help the student understand the assignment and embrace the challenge. No matter how poorly prepared the student may be, we can always find something to do and something to teach. No lesson is ever wasted. However, coming to lessons poorly prepared on a regular basis will certainly be grounds for consultation with the parents, and the parents may take action of their own (discipline, rewards/punishments, cessation of lessons, etc.).

Expectations: Parents expect quality for their money, and at KMI we believe this includes demanding the highest possible results from students without ever lowering our standards. Music education is often described as a discipline because it requires high levels of accuracy and compliance to established rules or principles. The fact that music is an art form, with many opportunities for creativity and latitude of interpretation is actually quite secondary to its overwhelming aspect of rigid rules and requirements. We believe that good teaching means always expecting the most from our students while tempering it with some acceptance of limitations. Most students will rarely ever perform a piece "note-perfectly", and most will be resistant to the demands of proper technique and form. As a result, most students will perform at recitals with numerous mistakes, and sorely lacking technical facility. However, the teachers at KMI will never give up our goal of getting all of our students to embrace the discipline and to master the skills, even if the progress is slow and arduous with every step.

(CLICK HERE TO READ ESSAYS THAT GIVE INSIGHT TO THE
QUALITY AND PHILOSOPHY BEHIND OUR TEACHING).