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PAULETTE ALBERTSON, NCTM
Paulette Albertson resides in Sahuarita, Arizona, a small town twenty minutes south of Tucson. She has been a teacher of piano and music theory since 1974 and is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music through the Music Teachers National Association. Mrs. Albertson is listed in the f WHO’S WHO IN AMERICA and the WHO’S WHO OF AMERICAN WOMEN.
Mrs. Albertson retains a small studio of ten to thirty (10-30) students. The small studio gives her a chance to individualize each student's curriculum and to chart their progress.
Her education consists of early childhood piano instruction in Midland, Texas under the training of the late Mrs. Lillian Knaur. Her higher music education training was at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas; Richland College in Dallas, Texas; and The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas. Piano studies have been under the instruction of Professors Frederick Thiebaud, Gena Cannon and Jesse Parker, respectively.
She has been an active participant in local music organizations. From 1974-1986 she was a member of the Garland Music Teachers Association in Garland, Texas where she held many offices including President. Through this organization she was also a member of the Texas Music Teachers Association and the Music Teachers National Association. In the Texas Music Teachers Association she held the position of World of Music Chairman for the Student Affiliate for several years.
In California she was an active member of the Contra Costa County Branch of the Music Teachers Association of California from 1987-1990 and of the Santa Clarita Valley Branch of MTAC from 1991- 2003. She held the office of President in the SCV Branch from 1994-1996. She also served on the Composers Today State Board for Music Teachers Association of California in the position of Publicity and Information from 2002-2004.
In Arizona she is presently a member of the Tucson Music Teachers Association, Arizona State Music Teachers Association and the Music Teachers National Association. She has served on the Executive Board of the Tucson Music Teachers Association and at the moment is Certification Chair.
She has been a keyboard evaluator for the Certificate of Merit program of the California Music Teachers Association from 1997-2003, Composers Today evaluator for student original compositions since 2005 and has also been an adjudicator for the National Guild of Piano Teachers since 1997.
She was very proud to be chosen to be a curriculum consultant for Knowledge Adventure, Inc. evaluating and giving suggestions on new software for music activity games in the newly released upgrade JUMPSTART 4th GRADE ADVENTURES 2000 and the JUMPSTART ADVANCED 4th GRADE 2003. The previous version sold over six million copies making it the best selling 4th grade curriculum software as of December, 1999.
Ms. Albertson is the author of "The Chart of Fifths, an Alternative to the Circle", published in the PIANO GUILD NOTES, November/December 1993. The workbook, THE CHART OF FIFTHS and accompanying chart are based on that article and are designed to be taught by teachers pursuing a new way to teach key signatures.
She has also worked on ensemble arrangements for Piano – 4 hands. The “Electric Light Parade” and “Music Box Dancer/Peter Piper” are several of those arrangements.
Her studio motto is "DEDICATED TO THE MUSICAL EXCELLENCE OF HER STUDENTS".
Background and Experience:
Mission Statement: My objective is to develop the student to his/her full potential, and provide a general background that will in turn prepare that student for any genre of music he/she may choose during their lifetime.
Teaching Philosophy: Many students and parents come to the table with good intentions; yet often the end results are disappointing. Examples of such might be tepid week-to-week progress, not following through on participation in an event, or prematurely discontinuing lessons. These are usually due to lack of awareness of one or more ingredients vital to studying a musical instrument. For example, they might not realize they have less time than required to devote to practice each day. People often underestimate the prerequisites music lessons carry. Rarely, however, are these disappointments due to lack of talent. A student need not be exceptionally "talented" to excel in their study of a musical instrument. I look for effort, not talent. Without effort, no amount of talent will matter. If a student has talent, it will blossom only with at least a moderate amount of effort. What the public regards as "talent" is really a lot of hard work and perseverance. Ask any gifted prodigy, and they will likely tell you this. However, if you don't have that special gift, as the vast majority of us don't, you nevertheless, will be surprised at what you can learn with a modest but consistent daily effort.
Teaching Approach: My approach to piano teaching is based on many different methods and philosophies, but is not rooted in any one specific method. Above all, it is based on logic and common sense. Essentially it is a step-by-step process: you are not ready for Step B until you have mastered Step A. This comes from the Suzuki approach, to which, earlier in my teaching career I had some hands-on exposure at the encouragement of some colleagues. However, my inability to accept certain elements of the Suzuki philosophy led me to officially abandon the approach, but not without carrying over certain teaching elements of the approach to my own. In particular the concentration and focus on a single detail at a time, which is the heart of my teaching approach, comes from Suzuki, but can be easily adapted to complement any "traditional" teaching approach. In turn, we break the material down into manageable learning steps, starting with one pattern/phrase at a time, treating each as a building block to be eventually assembled to form the complete composition.
Prerequisites for Study With This Teacher: As I mentioned above, the study of a musical instrument carries several requirements which, with even one missing, the lessons will likely not be able to continue. Prospective students and parents should consider the following requirements before inquiring to a teacher: