Statement of Teaching/Mentoring Philosophy, Laura Lentz

As a teacher-mentor I see myself as a facilitator supporting each student’s individual journey as an artist, empowering them as they make their own discoveries and decisions.  

There are five values that guide me:
humanity, connection to community, body awareness, sense of discovery,
and creativity and imagination

Humanity: I know each of my students as people, and a sense of trust is built within the relationship that is vital for successful learning. As I learn about each student and their values, goals, dreams, and struggles, I can support within each student their own sense of artistic vision and path. 

Connection to community: in addition to knowing and understanding ourselves, I encourage my students to reflect on how they can contribute as an artist and make an impact in the community in which they live. I also want to encourage my students to be open to being influenced and inspired by other artists in their community.  

Body awareness: Developing body awareness and building healthy habits and awareness of the body and how it moves is important for playing with ease and freedom, and for expressing the music as one wants.  I value kinesthetic knowledge and awareness and have Alexander Technique teachers present master classes to my students and incorporate that knowledge into lessons.

Sense of discovery: As a teacher I encourage my students to reflect on the work they are doing as they practice. If we are practicing with a sense of discovery, we take on an active role, asking questions as part of the learning process, and seeking out solutions to problems. When we engage in discovery as learners, we are open to what we might find, with awareness and perception heightened in the moment. As students learn to discover various technical, musical, stylistic, or expressive issues in the pieces they are playing, they are more able to problem-solve on their own and are increasingly able to find their own artistic voice over time.  

Creativity and imagination: I teach a solid foundation of flute playing combined with a stylistic understanding of the music they play, while encouraging each student’s creativity and imagination in the process. I see the diversity of each student’s personal and musical backgrounds as a strength. I look to create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing and expressing their individual and unique musicality and imagination.

Each student has their own path, and my role is to enable and encourage their unique artistic voice to blossom as we work together. When students feel free to explore and celebrate who they are as an artist, they will be happier
and more successful in all they do.