teaching & pedagogy
From group piano, guitar, or ukulele to full ensemble performance, my experience teaching all ages and abilities ranges from the highly trained music student to the novice adult looking for a hobby. My teaching methods allow students to “discover” concepts for themselves from a hands-on and personalized perspective, and my professional development workshops are similarly structured.
HIGHER ED
In Spring 2025, I was assigned to stabilize and teach an undergraduate jazz theory course under last-minute conditions due to an unexpected faculty leave. The inherited course shell was loosely organized and lacked scaffolding, making navigation difficult for students. I quickly implemented a structured weekly module format, created custom rubrics, and provided multiple final project pathways tailored to student interests. I introduced a visual orientation slideshow, whiteboard scale frameworks, and feedback rubrics that emphasized musical confidence and growth. These changes supported a diverse cohort – including general education and non-performance students – with no TA or grading assistant. The course achieved a high completion rate and strong student feedback, and enrollment grew compared to the previous year. Artifacts and screenshots are archived as part of my ongoing teaching portfolio, with typed excerpts and annotated student works illustrating applied musicianship, notation literacy, and stylistic coaching across ability levels. See the Jazz Theory Course Rebuild (2025) case study for documentation of curriculum redesign, feedback methods, and student outcomes.
In addition to adjunct professorship and teaching assistantship positions grading online courses, conducting ensembles and leading combos, I’ve had the opportunity to lecture in graduate and undergraduate courses explaining the links between music and tangential subjects like education, business & industry, advocacy for public policy, and the effect of musicians’ lifestyles on their careers. This has led to my presenting new ideas to the community like “The Holistic Musician” to students in Music Business courses, a graduate lesson plan on Charter School policy rhetoric, and a music production workshop for adults: “Post-Retro,” an interactive workshop for composers and producers exploring and analyzing the progression of video game music.
Secondary School
During my time as a privately contracted itinerant music director and lessons instructor, I taught a wide range of middle- and high-school ensembles and students at many different schools with various backgrounds. This gave me a unique insight into common themes and trending challenges across east coast music education systems, and has helped me develop a broad perspective on music teaching that I feel is crucial for today’s conditions in education and the arts. I am always searching for ways to improve and expand my knowledge base and practices - my certificates from the National Federation of State High School Associations can be found here.
Primary School
Having taught numerous PreK-8th grade group classes & ensembles, I engaged with students from many different backgrounds and varying programs. I noticed that parents would go through the same cycle of trying out music lessons, investing in a specific instrument, only to have their student become frustrated or tire of that instrument and want to move on to something else a few months into the school year. My introductory curriculum instead allows young students to “explore” the instrument families by trying out a number of primer instruments in one course. I’ve adapted the course to fit a week-long, 8 week, or full semester program. Here is my “Instrument Explorer” curriculum, along with a budget and teaching resources.
Teaching Resources
Below are examples of teaching resources I’ve created for Pre-K through higher education. Included are instrumental lesson aides, ear training worksheets, diversity and inclusion tools and more. Feel free to use these resources in your own practices, or email me at saxamassima@gmail.com for more info.
