ELLIE
ELLIE
When I started second grade, I began piano lessons. It was fun but I wondered how long it would take for me to get really good like my Mother. She told me that “the only way you will fail is if you quit”. I followed her advice and it paid off. In fifth grade, I began to play the flute. I took group lessons from my band director but because his major instrument was brass, I needed the help of someone who actually played flute. My Father became my flute instructor until I went off to college.
Because of my general love for music and having studied both piano and flute I decided to major in music with the hopes of becoming a private teacher. I actually got so excited about bringing the joy of music into the lives of others that I began teaching flute and piano lessons my sophomore year in college.
After college I continued teaching lessons in my home studio, first in Jordan MN, Truman, MN, then Mankato, MN. In Mankato in addition to teaching my private students I also taught Elementary Music at St. Joseph Catholic School for 6 years. I also taught 7th and 8th Grade General Music at West High School for a year.
I decided at that time to go back to college and get my masters degree and apply for a teaching position in the public schools in Mankato. Two and a half years into the masters program I found out that I would not be eligible for a teaching position in the Mankato schools because my husband was teaching at East High School and the school district did not hire spouses. So I stopped my masters program and decided to focus on improving my own playing and teaching skills.
For the next seven years I studied private piano with the piano teacher at Mankato State University. She was the best teacher I had ever had and I learned many things about playing and teaching music. I also enrolled in music workshops both in Mankato and in the Twin Cities whenever I could.
I moved to Chanhassen, MN 22 years ago and started Music Masters of Chanhassen studio out of my home. I am passionate about my teaching and I have continued with two online instructors to broaden my knowledge.
My teaching philosophy is that the students and I work together as a team. We have great discussions about the music they learn, about practicing suggestions and during their last two years of high school we often talk about how they might incorporate music into the rest of their lives.
