What is your teaching philosophy?

I try to show the student why he or she should learn the subject in question, and why he or she would have a better quality of life if they studied the subject. The student has a real life example of how much joy languages and music can bring into one's life: me!

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

Introduce ourselves. Spend some time before the lesson begins to get to know each other. Start to build a friendship. Then, start with the very basics of the subject.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

In languages, I would show the student all the grammar he or she needs to know as quickly as possible, and then leave the rest to online dictionaries, which the student can use without my being there. In music, I would teach open and Barre chords right off the bat, so the student can be a singer-songwriter very early on.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

More and more over time, I would interact with the student through the medium of our discipline. I could have a conversation in another language or work on a song together with him or her.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

I would try to lay the concept out in as many perspectives as possible. The more ways one looks at something, the more ways one can memorize something. Also, some concepts just take time, and I would gently remind the student of that.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

Reading comprehension is a problem that I take very seriously because I sometimes struggle with it myself. I would tell the student that it is important to be interested in that which one is reading because then the information will stick more naturally.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

Learning about each other and how we as individuals operate is key, in my opinion. The information of a subject is the same all the time, but how one operates or cooperates in the presence of others is different with every pair or group.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

I would explain the reasons that I myself study what I like to study. Why not have a secret conversation in Spanish that your parents can't understand? Haha, just kidding folks.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

In music, if the student can play a scale, then he understands the material already to a decent extent, and over time he or she will learn to manipulate the scale in a way that suits his or her style. In languages, proper usage of the material a conversational context proves that he or she grasps the material.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

Positive reinforcement. Kindness, understanding, and patience. Learning takes time, and I am always sure to remind the student that it is important to just keep working at it, and eventually goals will be met.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I like to get to know the student enough to be able to gauge what makes him or her happy. Then I'll show him or her how to play the kind of music that he or she likes, or talk in other languages about the topics he or she likes.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

I would focus more on whatever makes the student have a good time, while still being productive. Doing both is possible!

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

Not a lot. In music, a guitar or an electric keyboard. In languages, we would need the internet to look up vocabulary and stationary to practice writing.