With more than 30 years experience as a teacher, Stephen Kelly enjoys students ranging from the professional to the complete beginner. He has worked with pupils from the ages of five years to ninety-two.
He believes that the essence of being a musician is simply and profoundly the love of music. This love, enthusiasm, passion, and pure fun of music is the key to both a great performance by a great artist, and the excited progress of someone new to music.
He recognizes that being a musician calls upon many aspects of the brain and body, and his goal is the integration of these diverse skills. His goal is to open the door - or many doors - so that with time, the student is prepared and able to move forward wherever his or her muse is calling.
The ability to create music spontaneously (improvisation), ease with reading music notation, acquaintance with great creations by great composers, the ability to grasp music with the ear, and the optimal physical habits (technique) are all important. His process aims at showing the correlations between these different functions of the mind and body.
He recognizes that each musician is inspired by different interests, and works with the enthusiasm of the student for jazz, for classical, for personal creations, while at the same time working to prepare for the future, when different desires and passions will emerge.
