Chris Palmer

I am a firm believer in positive thinking and positive reinforcement. I've been teaching both privately and in the classroom setting for 6 years now and I've learned that a performer can have all the talent and skill in the world, but if they don't believe in themselves they won't reach their full potential. My job is to unlock that potential by teaching my students both the skills they need to succeed and the belief that they can succeed. I have been very successful with past students, with many going on to achieve high placements in their school bands, acceptance into local and state honor bands as well as superior and command performance ratings at CMEA Solo/Small Ensemble Festivals.

Musically I like to focus on scales, warm-ups and technique because they are the foundation for which everything else is built upon. From there I evaluate their performance level and structure my lessons to best fit each student's needs. I don't stick to one set way of teaching since every student is different and has different needs.

I strive to make each lesson a fun and enjoyable learning experience for my students, while keeping them structured at the same time. I make it clear what I expect of my students and have them keep a lesson log where they write down what I want them to practice for each lesson so they are prepared and know what to expect when I see them. I like to set goals. Sometimes these are simple goals, and sometimes they are challenging. A student can't grow and learn if they don't push themselves to be more than what they already are. As I always tell them, the goal of any lesson is to end better than you started.