Getting to Know Your Instructor:
Wesley Stevenson
Philosophy
I believe that every student has the capacity to learn and perform beautiful music regardless of his or her previous education or background. I also believe that learning the gift of music can be both rewarding and fun! One of my goals as an instructor is to discover and develop each student's natural strengths and abilities using a systematic approach to theory, technique, and performance.
Over the years I've been asked many of the same questions. Hopefully my answers to these questions will provide valuable insight on my background and approach.
FAQ About Me
- What style of music do you play?
- Do you teach how to play by ear, or do you teach how to read the music on the staff?
- How long will it take me to learn the piano?
- Do I really need to understand theory to play in a band?
- What is your musical background?
What style of music do you play?
I enjoy playing many different styles of music. I can confidently say that on some days I enjoy playing classical music, some days I enjoy gospel music, and other I enjoy playing Latin jazz. It all depends on what mood I happen to be in. I believe it is essential to try different styles to help you discover your interest and help expand your versatility as a musician. I play in a church worship team every Sunday, and I am always incorporating things from other styles to make my playing more intricate, exciting, and less predictable.
Do you teach how to play by ear, or do you teach how to read the music on the staff?
Both. I understand the importance of learning both methods of playing. I will even go so far to say that each method is equally as important. It's been my experience that students will either adapt easier to one method more than the other. So I like to expose my students to both methods to see what their natural attraction is to. I can also say that it is extremely difficult to teach how to play by ear in the time frame that students expect to see results in. I often have students expecting to learn how to play by ear in less than a month. I personally would love to go to the gym and come out looking like Wesley Snipes in a month but that probably wouldn't be a realistic goal. Teaching by reading music on the staff is easier simply because there is plenty of material readily available to teach from.
How long will it take me to learn the piano?
Surely you know that I would never answer this question, simply because it depends on each student. Different students learn at different paces. I typically respond by helping set attainable goals for yourself, such as learning the major scales in 2 months, or playing the first section of a song in a week. Discovering the importance of goal setting is a integral part of who I am as an instructor.
Do I really need to understand theory to play in a band?
Well... no, but if you want to be in a good band, then yeah. I'd say it is pretty important. Playing music in a band has a lot to do with communication. If your vocalist says that a song is too high for his/her range, then you will need to know how to transpose a song into a lower key - without the always convenient transpose button. If your bass player wants to change the chords in the second chorus for some variety, you will need to know how to play those chord changes without using the "trial and error" method. And for all those church keyboardists, you should already know how spontaneous a service can be. So yeah I'd say it's pretty important.
What is your musical background?
I started playing piano at the age of 5. My mother was taking lessons from her worship leader at church, and (from what she tells me) I would sit down after she was done practicing and starting playing the same song. Shortly after she discovered that I an interest in piano, she enrolled me in formal piano lessons until I was 16. I participated in recitals and guild competitions throughout my time as a student. After that, I starting studying on my own for a few years, focusing on developing my own sound. I continued to study piano performance at the collegiate level at the College of Southern Maryland, and at Liberty University. During that time I was given the privilege of sharing the stage with some of Christian music's premier artists - artists like Kirk Franklin, Third Day, Aaron Jeffrey, Bryan Duncan, and Steve Green to name a few.