TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:

My  goals as a teacher are to encourage understanding of essential principles of handling and shaping sound,  as well as to develop heightened critical perception of sound and music in cinematic narrative. A big part of this is to inform the student regarding practical aspects of creative media audio and to help them exercise critical thinking skills regarding not only the surface but the “meaning” that a soundtrack brings to a media work.

In the classroom this means employing lectures, demonstrations, and team-based learning via assignments simulating the production of media artworks.

An essential part of this that must be repeatedly communicated to the student is the importance of story, because the “surface” of the artwork must always be subservient to the “meaning” of the story. 

Regarding assessments, I believe that assignments should be small in scope, with a clearly expressed focus, and graded immediately. While I provide time in the classroom for some assignments, I do not believe it wrong to expect the student to work outside of class time. For the most part these are practical assignments. I use essay assignments only to explain the principles of good rhetoric which can also apply to audio and visual media work. 

Students majoring in Animation complete my courses having learned the foundations of creative media production, including both the importance of meaningful, well structured content and of professional standards of production practice. Students often have trouble maintaining a high-level overview of a creative effort like the Senior Film Project and become tangled up in the many small details of production practice. I address this through practices like regular discussion and critiques, and frequent screenings of work-in-progress.