David McArthur

mcarthdl@colorado.edu
520 Deines Court, Fort Collins, CO 80525
www.mnmpianostudio.weebly.com

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
PEDAGOGICAL EXPERIENCE

As a teacher, my ultimate goal is to help the student realize their potential on their own terms. This is, of
course, no easy task. As a private teacher, working with many pre-college students, I have seen a plethora
of different personalities – independent, ambitious, tenacious, hesitant, etc. From this experience I have
learned that different students require a different type of teacher. Consequently, I have striven to make
my pedagogical personality as versatile and flexible as possible. I have found that this enables the student
not only to enjoy the end result of hard work, but also to appreciate the means through which they arrive
at a finished product.

Consequently, I have also worked to mold a number of teaching ‘personalities’. By doing this, I have been
able to adapt my approach to a particular learning style. I have found that some students need someone
who simply provides them with a forum for creating musical and technical ideas, while others need strict
guidance in realizing their musical identity. My acceptance of the 2007 MTNA Star Fellowship Award for
Teaching has helped me pursue this style of teaching with excitement and confidence. For over a decade, I
have worked to enhance my pedagogical skills and use them as a valuable tool for reaching all of my
students, not just a select few that match my personal style of teaching or playing.

TEACHING STYLE

Working with students to produce musical performances that they can be proud of has become a passion
of mine. It is my opinion that music study can be one of the most stimulating and satisfying activities
imaginable. Not only must one construct the piece by learning its notes, techniques, and overall
theoretical anatomy, but one can also color it with expression and meaning. As a teacher, I aim to instill
within my students a firm grasp of both the concrete (technique, analysis, etc.) and abstract (musicality,
meaning, symbolism, etc.) elements of performance. As a result, I encourage my students to arrive at
some kind of interpretation on their own, while I guide them in the areas of stylistic authenticity, artistic
integrity, and time-honored good taste. I believe that this promotes an understanding of the delicate
balance between performer, composer, and audience. The end result is a pianist that is as multifaceted as
the piano literature itself.

In order to cultivate this type of all-around musical growth, I encourage students to familiarize themselves
with famous pianists, landmark recordings (such as Gould’s 1955 Goldberg Variations), and to attend
concerts as frequently as possible. In addition, I ask that they pursue opportunities for collaboration, not
only for playing experience, but also to learn how to forge relationships within the music community – in
fact, one of my students has actually gone so far as to create his own concert series!

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PRACTICAL MUSIC TRAINING

Real-world music training is also a top priority of mine. In my experience, I have found that many of the
skills that I have acquired, such as improvisation, theoretical aptitude, strong sight-reading, conducting,
etc., have served me well as a means of making my living as a musician – which truly is the ultimate
professional goal of every music major. Hence, I have made it a practice within my studio to encourage
students to not settle for pursuing a limited amount of musical endeavors, but to learn how to apply a
number of skills toward the pursuit of a common goal. I don’t just teach them how to move their fingers; I
teach them how to perform, how to teach, how to create, and how to interact with other musicians. I also
encourage my students to speak to their audience before each performance. Preparing a brief introduction
to a piece greatly improves the student’s ability as a communicator and educator, skills that can be put to
use effectively in a classroom setting later down the road.

It is my hope that the search committee will give me a chance to show what I have to offer the Music
Department at your institution. I am confident that I can provide an engaging, enlightening, and enjoyable
experience for students studying music at your institution, and can instill within each student a well-
rounded understanding of music as a whole.

Sincerely,

David McArthur
Doctoral Candidate (A.B.D.)
Piano Performance
University of Colorado-Boulder