The year was 2005. I landed in Santiago de Cuba with 12 college classmates from my music in the Caribbean class. We were taking a summer study abroad program at the Conservatoria de Santigo de Cuba in Santiago de Cuba. It was a remarkable summer, and the experience continues to influence the way I teach. One of the most interesting things I learned from that experience was that music creation is supposed to be for everyone.
In Cuban culture, every man, woman, and child participate in creating music from an early age. Not only do they participate, but from what I witness that summer, the average Cuban book shop keeper was likely to be musically “on par” with many of my professionally trained contemporaries. To say the least, this was very humbling. Here I was pursuing a professional degree in music and basically any 9 year-old Cuban boy could out-play me in every instrument I studied.
In American society as well as many other Western Societies, there seems to be a prevailing notional that only people who are deemed ‘talented’ at music from an early age should study it. Accompanied by thoughts of fame and fortune, the notion that the creation of music should only be left to a few people is quite crippling to our creative society. It’s time to think bigger as a music teaching community.
The EEPmusic mission is create happy, healthy, musicians through personalized, in home music education. We desire to inspire extraordinary growth in children, teenagers, and adults to develop a lasting, life-long relationship with music and develop the skills to become to be remarkable citizens of the world.
EEPmusic Values
Common values are vital to a successful parent, student, and teacher relationship. They are the foundation for discipline and behavior standards in reaching our goals.
- Integrity
Actions are in line with speech. We checking twice before making commitments and do what we said we would do. - Growth
Dedication to continual learning and behaviors that keep us accountable to growth. - 360 World View
Understanding of music creation in the greater context of the world, and then, a student’s individual life. - Heath & Wellness
Staying emotionally stable, physically fit and spiritually grounded. - Honesty
Telling the truth. - Discipline
Living disciplined lives that aid us in conquering our goals. - Fun
If we aren’t having fun, we are doing something wrong. - Acknowledgment
Validating both successes and failures, and still stay smiling while doing it!
About Erin Pearson
Erin Pearson is a singer-songwriter, guitar string jewelry designer, painter, author, and music teacher living in Nashville, Tennessee.
Born and raised in Prior Lake, Minnesota, Erin began studying voice & piano at 5 years old. She attended Santa Clara University as a music major with emphasis in vocal performance and additional concentrations in both piano and composition. Erin started teaching music when a few of her choir-mates asked to take lessons, fifteen years later, she is still teaching strong.
In 2014, Erin relocated to Nashville, TN where she completed her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership at Belmont University while teaching private music lessons, completing her first book, and continuing to pursue her own personal artistry (erinpearson.com).