Theresa Chen
Keyboardist, Composer, Arranger & Educator
The Teaching Side of ME
I have been teaching jazz for 11 years. The jazz courses I've taught include history, theory, and pedagogy. I'm directing one big band and two combos, along with piano/improv lessons. I earned certification from the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) on Effective Teaching Practices Framework. My philosophy has changed occasionally as I gained more experience and encountered more students from different backgrounds.
The Core: BE REAL!
In my teaching, I'll be real about...
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How important music fundamentals are. Without basic understanding of playing instruments and music theory, you'll have hard time master advanced improv skills.
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How every skill you learn in my class relate to the real world.
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How listening to a wide variety of music can enrich your musical experiences.
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How important it is to have a right mindset and attitude as a musician. Before being a musician, you need to strive to be a good person. You need to have self-awareness, morals and work ethics, so that you will keep a humble, earnest, honest, and hard-working attitude when pursuing careers, and create high-quality music.
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How networking increases your all kinds of gigging opportunities.
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How important it is to understand your strength and weaknesses and define your own sucess.
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How unconventional teaching keeps students engaged, motivates their active learning, and ensures the equitable and fair learning environment.
My Class/Lesson Commandments
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RESPECT and REMEMBER every musical tradition while you are creating something new.
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Compose, play, and create music with all your heart, mind, body, and soul, just like on the last day of your life. CONCENTRATE and HAVE FUN!
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Start knowing your family of origin better to know how their characteristics shaped you today. Grow and become a better, different version of yourself from your family. You are you, and no one can define what your life should be, and you’re the only master of it.
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Never regret every choice you made, such as the classes you take, your primary field, and the school you ended up coming to study at.
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Always repeat and ask yourself where your passion, strength, and confidence came from. Reflect all the time, for there will be lots of moments when you feel your passion being ruined. Don’t give up easily and drift with the tide.
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Each institution you’re at, and everyone you work with has limits. It cannot suit you well and solve your life problems completely, but you have to figure out how you develop with things available around you. You’re dealing with reality, but don’t forget to DREAM BIG! You will be able to achieve something as soon as you get out of your comfort zone.
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ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS, even though those might be trivial or seem/feel “stupid.” It is the process of knowing something new, getting better at something, and making huge progress.
