February 23rd, 2010 11:24 am
Matthew Wilkinson joins Music Arts Faculty
Matthew Wilkinson, member of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Principal Cellist of the Symphony of the Mountains in Kingsport, as well as a Knoxville Symphony on-call member, has joined Music Arts and is now giving lessons.
Matt’s wife, Jeanine Lafitte Wilkinson, has been a member of the Music Arts faculty for a number of years, and when her schedule no longer allowed her to accept new students, Matt was the obvious answer.
According to Matthew, cello runs in his family in more than his connection with Jeanine. His mother was professional cellist, and started Matt with cello lessons at age 4, playing a 1/10 size instrument. He says that this has instilled cello playing into his lifestyle and feels that this is what he was raised to do. And he loves it, and the sound of the instrument, pointing out that he can play some of the greatest music ever written, as well as traveling and performing with different people.
As well as his orchestra jobs, his busy schedule includes teaching orchestra at Karns, with three hour-long orchestra classes every day. He’s also an assistant conductor for the Knoxville Youth Symphony.
With a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the University of Oregon, as well as a Master’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Tennessee, Matt is very qualified. He accepts students as young as 4th or 5th grade.
What does he look for in a student? Primarily, a willingness to learn, to accept new ideas. He adds that it helps if they have a passion for music, that they want to play for some reason. He admires students who practice, and points out that progress is determined more by how a student practices, rather than how long. He’d rather see a student practice for one hour, efficiently, than just coast along through a four hour session.
Needless to say, he’ll be more than willing to help his students learn to put their practice time to the best use.
