Peyton Winterowd-Laughman
About
I discovered my passion for music at a young age and was fortunate enough to train with Dr Jacobson, one of the best pianists in this part of the country, and under the direction of Dr Cobbs of the Tacoma Youth Symphony. When I was 16 I decided I was going to become a composer and began my journey writing music. From that point, I devoted my life to learning music. At Western Washington University I studied music composition, piano, and violin. In-between now and then, my music career took a lot of twists and turns, ups and downs, and ins and outs. All the while I’ve continued to teach private violin and piano lessons. For the past nine years, I’ve taught my students everything I’ve learned along the way.
Teaching Style
It’s so easy to put too much pressure on students and cause the classic burn out that so many musicians have experienced at some point or another. So I’m very conscious of how my students are feeling and noticing the difference between the need for instructive support and the need for encouragement. I like to end every lesson with three questions. What did you learn today? What can you improve on this week? And What are you doing really well or have accomplished in this past week? In my experience, people learn best when they enjoy the music they're learning and become aware of their progress and accomplishments. I encourage my students to be patient when learning a difficult piece or gaining new skills. Like anythings progress takes a little time and hard work, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun along the way!
Curriculum
Although I have a classically trained background, I understand that some students don't respond well to the “traditional" Suzuki style learning. So, I like to assess a student before recommending books and or repertoire for them or their parents to purchase. I plan unique lesson plans for each student based on several determining factors including level of playing, age, learning curves, learning styles, what their goals for lessons are, and how much practice time they want to commit to per week (…which is usually a different number to students than it is to parents). In addition to lesson and scale books I like to heavily supplement technical material, finger strengthening exercises, repertoire appropriate to playing level, and theory. I also send students home with ‘listening homework’ from time to time, which includes listening to works from famous composers on youtube and then having a brief conversation about those pieces at the start of our next lesson. I believe understanding the scope of an instrument from more than just the “technical” aspect of it really enhances the learning experience and makes students value the techniques they are learning. However, beyond anything else, music should be enjoyed. So I try to find the best balance between having fun and improving you're ability to play.