3 layers of empowerment, in one single image.

I love this photo. It was taken from a kindergarten teacher at Johnson Elementary School during a summer "Jump Start" 3-week camp for kids ages 4-5yo.

I have been experimenting with early childhood techniques based in principle from the pedagogy I have learned from my mentor, Dr. Carroll Rinehart.

The role of a, Teaching Artist.

To me, education facilitation feels no different than composing or performing a song.

It's not work.
It isn't void of passion.
It doesn't come easy for it to flow naturally.
It's heartfelt and heart-centered.
I always receive more in return than what I share.

I don't care what anyone says, education is an art.

Empowerment: A Great Foundation

The essence of empowerment is actually quite simple: the ability to make a choice or decision within yourself. It is in this ability that a person discovers the identity of self ownership and responsibility for any given spectrum of life. From this discovery, a world of potential is unlocked and, with the right guidance and teaching, empowerment becomes the very source to take any matter of learning to a realm of uniqueness and originality.

As a music instructor, this is the very place I wish to take every one of my students. Empowerment allows the student to see music beyond the realm of a linear plane. In other words, they begin to see what they're learning through a multidimensional lens. So, instead of practicing your instrument, to then gain the ability to play something new, to then add on to what you're learning, which really becomes a big heap of knowledge, we look at the big picture and allow the student to discover why they are learning what they're learning. Of course, the practice is important, but the student sees practicing through an entirely different perspective. They see the big picture of limitless possibilities that creativity can bring them. What is then birthed in the student is an understanding that is coupled within experience which becomes the motivation and satisfaction for the student to continue in his or her musical endeavors. The students' perspective on learning is no longer about learning point A to get to point B and so on. Rather, a bigger picture is shown to the student that allows the progress of point A to point B learning to be an inevitable byproduct.


I am not going to just copy and paste material into a student. Honestly, that's what Youtube or guitar tabbing websites are for. There will be characteristics of my own musicianship that will be reflected in my students, but the foundation is an incredibly unique gift to make and play and compose music in an innovative way that is purely their own.


When I get a new student, the first thing I look for is what ultimately captures the students attention about music. From here I build on that and allow them to experience for themselves why that captivates them. This becomes the hook for the student to begin learning from this perspective. Empowerment will then begin to take shape within the student.


Encouraging my students to learn to think for themselves and understand how to make the best musical choices is the single most important thing I can do. The knowledge of music, the theory of music, the cognitive understanding of music all hinges on the student first discovering what music means to them.
Make this the platform for learning and your byproduct will be musicians and artists that play music for pure enjoyment and expression. They'll play music because they want to.

On Early Childhood Development

In all honesty, it was never apart of our scope of focus to serve young children when we first began. It wasn't until the introduction to Dr. Carroll Rinehart, my mentor, where this not only changed but became a central focus for our services.

According to Dr. Rinehart, from prenatal to 4yo a child who has been exposed to both a language and experience-rich environment, he or she can have up to 40,000+ words in their vocabulary. The opposite is true that by depriving those essential elements to their development, he or she can have less than 10,000 words in their vocabulary. That is a massive neurological gap.

After 4yo the development begins to diminish rapidly and all growth in their communication, social, literacy, math, and science skills are built upon the already established foundation.

So what does this have to do with music?

Music is unique in that it is one of the only learning entrees that is both experience and language rich.

After I discovered this it really inspired me to see music empowerment as much more than even helping students enjoy and express themselves through an art form; I wanted to see MyTown Music partner with families in the process of building great individuals and contribute to a brighter future.

Meet, Polo. (16mo)