My name is Theresa but you can call me Miki, my Japanese name. Born in Michigan, raised in New York and Connecticut, I began my love for the arts at a very young age. I started both piano and dance when I was three but when I was in fourth grade fell in love with violin after going to see Heifitz perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at Lincoln Center. You never know how a concert is going to effect a young person. Heifitz changed my life forever and thus began my love for violin with studies continuing for 9 years followed by more lessons, and performances with various small ensembles that continued throughout young adulthood.
As a candidate for a Bachelor of Music in Education degree, I attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. Piano was my principle instrument, voice was my minor and since they didn’t have an instrumental program, I played violin earning pocket money. There I not only studied piano with a wonderful teacher, William Cheadle, and had amazing voice, conducting and choral experiences (we toured all over the mid-west and east coast), but I had a professor of early music education that made a statement I have based my teaching and therapy philosophy on throughout my professional career. That was:
“You can teach any concept to anybody of any age (or disability). The only difference is the material you choose and how you present it.”
I believe it doesn’t matter how old a person is when they are introduced to music, (or any art form for that matter) they just need to be motivated to learn and be ready to develop the skills needed to master each task. My job as a teacher is to provide the tools necessary to learn those skills and to facilitate the process of technical, emotional and social development through music.
After two years in NJ, I decided to change my major to Music Therapy and transferred to Michigan State University where I earned my Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy Degree, complete with a six month internship at the Fort Bayard Medical Center in NM. I studied voice with Ethel Armaling and piano with Deborah Moriarty, both of whom I loved and admired. I’ve worked as the Director of Music for the Michigan School for the Blind, Music Therapist for The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (Pain Management, Stroke, Pediatric and Head Trauma patients), Charter Behavioral Health Center of San Jose (Homicidal/Suicidal Adolescents) , and Agnew Developmental Center (State facility serving Developmentally Disabled Individuals).
In Music Therapy, one uses many skills some of which include incorporating various percussion instruments, melodic instruments, voice, movement, and most importantly, developing the ability to listen and analyze problems. I try to introduce those skills to my piano students as well and hopefully, they will not only have fun during their lessons but will develop skills they can later transfer to whatever they choose to do in their future.
In 1996, I decided to take a break for Therapy and took a job with Noteworthy Music Systems where I taught group piano classes. It was a wonderful teaching experience and my class load grew from four classes a week to sometimes 8-10 classes per day, five days a week. Through working with such a variety of students, I developed a teaching system that not only developed their knowledge and understanding of basic music concepts but was so much fun in the process they kept coming back. It wasn’t long before I decided to leave the Therapy World to join the Teaching World full time.
During lessons, my students focus on learning Music Theory, Developing their Ear, Developing their Fine motor skills as they “tickle the keys” and how to play with others in a group whether it is with other students or members of their own family. They learn to consistently analyze their own playing and to solve any technical problems that may come up during practice.
In addition to music, I have been lucky enough to have an extensive career in dance. Training includes ballet, jazz, modern, Spanish, and classical ethnic specifically folkloric dances of Colombia. Professional highlights include: work as a teacher, soloist, company member and choreographer with various small dance companies and schools throughout California, Illinois, Michigan and New Mexico. Favorite performances include: Nutcracker, La Fille Mal Gardee, Sleeping Beauty, Evita, and the Performing Experience itself at the Kennedy Center in DC. What a treat that was!
My life in a nut shell… the Arts rule and Music rocks!
Thank you for visiting with me!
Theresa M. Cannizzaro