My Musical Autobiography

My name is Jacob Lehman and I am a music educator, specializing in instrumental education. Over the years in my musical education, I have developed my own philosophy for music education and how I want my students to experience music. My goal in music education is to create a safe, supportive environment for students (of any age) to grow in their musical development and to learn how to have their own personal musical experiences. It is a teacher’s responsibility to do everything they can to set their students up for success in their field, because if a student is a successful musician, they will enjoy music so much more than being unsuccessful. However, a student’s success in music is not designated by any benchmark, but is determined by their own experiences and goals.

One of my greatest musical influences is my flute teacher from high school, Lisa Napier. I took private lessons from Lisa for all three years of high school and my playing absolutely flourished under her instruction. What really influenced me musically was when she would assign me to play pieces that I previously thought beyond my reach and led me to realize that I could indeed play these things, all the while making sure that I was successful in my endeavors. She also let me choose pieces for myself, allowing me to have an even more personal musical experience. These experiences in my lessons, and experiences like it that I would have well throughout my undergraduate years, shaped my teaching style and my philosophy for music education. Above all, I want to set students up for success so that they can take their music as far as they want to in life.