OUR STORY
To know me is to know how much I love music and why I value a quality arts education for all. Music allows people to be fully vulnerable and open in a way that makes others listen—and think. One of my favorite aspects of live music is watching the audience connect and become engaged with the works being performed.
If I asked you to state a fact about your life right now and how it relates to people who lived in the 1800s, you would probably have a difficult time. When I have asked this question at events, I am consistently told there is nothing relatable. Five minutes later, I will sit down and play Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” (written in 1810) or John Field’s “Nocturne No. 5” (written in 1817), and I’ll see facial expressions and body language of a crowd connecting to the sections of joy, anger, sadness, and melancholy. At that moment, people who are of different ages, religions, races, economic statuses, political beliefs, etc., connect in the same exact way. I truly believe the way to make our world a better place is through connection, and the best way to do that is through a quality arts education.
When it comes to education, we are constantly putting things into an “or” context. Progress OR proficiency. Math OR English. Music OR sports. Fun OR work. The reality is nothing and no one can be defined by the constraints of an “or” complex. Humans are much too complex to be defined by one adjective or goal. Putting ourselves into one box prohibits the ability for growth and opportunity.
We all have our strengths. Some of us are naturally better at solving differential equations while others are naturally better at explaining the nuances in the poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson. There are others who are much more natural in the skill of team sports (For the record, this was never me). However, what we fail to see while searching for means to better ourselves is how putting time, energy, and resources into strengthening our weaknesses only enhances our strengths. For the benefit of future generations, we need to start replacing the word “or” with the word “and” when it comes to education and growth.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that teachers in my profession focus on either fun OR substance as their main objective. As a result, I have received new students who took music lessons from other teachers for multiple years that could not play past the equivalent of the first level of a series; or worse, they would be able to play well past their age, but the music had no substance or emotion behind it. After receiving multiple students who all shared a similar history of music education, I recognized a new approach needed to be created that merged the methods of the past with the goals of the future—a perfect blend of heart and mind. I then went to work building a studio where curriculums were designed with a big picture in mind and could be tailored to the individual versus the individual being tailored to the curriculum.
For each instrument, a master checklist of skills is laid out from beginner to advanced. After meeting with the student and getting a sense of their personality, how they learn, process information, and more, we build a curriculum specifically designed for that student. This individualized curriculum allows them to not only learn an instrument to the best of their abilities by making sure all necessary skills are mastered, but also enjoy the process and develop a need to share that joy with others. Learning an instrument properly and enjoying it go hand in hand. I truly believe this approach sets the Stewart Music Studio apart from many other private lesson studios. A person can be challenged yet learn to play something well and enjoy it at the same time.
Not all students are going to become professional musicians, and that is okay! Not everyone needs to be a professional musician to enjoy or reap the benefits of learning an instrument. Our curriculum allows the student and their families to focus on enjoying and learning the instrument instead of worrying about developmental skills or future career paths.
I hope you decide to become a member of our musical family. Look around our website, and please don’t hesitate to call or text 678.268.7715 or send us an email at lessons@stewartmusicstudio.com with any questions you have. I hope to speak with you soon.