About
Griffin Browne currently lives and works in the Flathead Valley as principal cellist in the Glacier Symphony, private cello instructor, and free-lance musician. He serves the musical community through bow and minor instrument repairs, and is also the music librarian and personnel manager for the Glacier Symphony. Dr. Browne received his Doctoral and Master’s degrees in cello performance from the University of Memphis, and his Bachelor of Music degree from Stetson University. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Montana, Tennessee, and Mississippi. When not engaged in musical endeavors, Dr. Browne enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, hiking, hunting, and making firewood.
My goal in teaching is to enhance people’s human experience by bringing them to a deeper appreciation of the created beauty all around them, and to aid in their ability to digest information and make wise choices based on what they know. To accomplish this, I like to help the student build a solid foundation and then build each consecutive layer on top of that. Thus, quality is of greater importance than quantity. When teaching my cello students, I generally teach one thing at a time until they have learned it well and then move on to something new.
To me, learning well is more a matter of the heart than the brain: when there is a heart connection with what is learned, it is much easier to remember and more difficult to forget. I believe it is important to teach students how to learn in this way by inspiring them and giving them tools for learning. Methods for teaching that I find helpful include repetition, going from general to specific, and refocusing. It is useful to have one main point for a lesson because it makes it easier for the student to prioritize their practice.
I believe it is my responsibility to be open to learning from my students reciprocally. Teachers are life-long learners too, and that is what makes teaching so enjoyable to me.