Alexander Fowler

6 Years Teaching on Lessonface
Cello
5.0
(3 lesson reviews)
50+ lessons booked on Lessonface
Lesson Fees
$40.00 / 30 Minutes
Promotions Available
Free trial lesson for new students

About

I am a cellist and recent graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Virginia Tech, where I developed passions for chamber and contemporary classical music. I brought these interest to Boston, and have performed throughout New England in chamber music series, conductorless ensembles, and orchestras. While studying at NEC, I was also a musical storytelling fellow, and developed multiple programs of original songs and stories to perform at elementary schools and children's venues throughout the city. I currently still live in Boston performing musical storytelling and teaching virtually and recently received a 2020 NEC Spark Award to further my storytelling work.

Teaching Style

I believe a major key to success in learning music is finding the methods and concepts that click for you. There are infinite ways to think of a phrase or harmonic relationships and I work to learn which connections make sense to you. One major takeaway from my own education has been how to listen to my playing objectively and free of self-judgement. I constantly encourage my students to develop a similar mindset, since I see self-encouragement as much more important than encouragement from a teacher or an audience. I also love when a student comes into a lesson telling me about a recording they listened to or with an idea that sparked their curiosity. My learning what makes you curious helps me assign pieces and exercises that will best serve your growth.

Curriculum

With young beginning students, I use exercises from Suzuki and Essential Elements books as a basis for note reading, but I also frequently use "echo" or "call-and-response" playing. I find this is especially important in developing a student's ear for pitch and tone early on.  As a student progresses and their musical interests develop, I combine standard classical repertoire that I grew up playing with song transcriptions of film, jazz, and rock music formatted to match each student's ability level and current technical goals.

Credentials & Affiliations

New England Conservatory, Boston, MA — Master of Music & Graduate Diploma
September 2017 - May 2019 (M.M.) & September 2019 - May 2020 (G.D.)
Degrees in Cello Performance studying under Yeesun Kim.

McGill University, Montreal, QC — Non-Degree Visiting Student
August 2016-December 2016
Schulich School of Music, studied cello under Brain Manker.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA — Bachelor of Arts
August 2013 - May 2017
Honors Scholar Diploma, studied cello under Alan Weinstein.