Nicholas Troup

The responsibility for a student's learning ultimately lies with the student themselves. Therefore, I see the role of the instructor as more of a coach or a conductor of a musical ensemble rather than a lecturer. In such an ensemble, individual members are expected to practice on their own to learn their part, so that when the ensemble comes together for rehearsal, the director can focus on places where the ensemble is having the most difficulty, and, more importantly, begin shaping the musicality of the work as a whole. In a similar fashion, I believe most of the learning for a course should happen outside of lecture, and lecture time is best spend on addressing misconceptions and encouraging deep learning through active learning activities. It is my goal to have my courses reflect this model as closely as possible.