Every month, we like to spotlight one of our incredible Elemental Music teachers. Some of them have been teaching with us for close to a decade while others might be in their first year of working for our organization, but there is one thing that all of our teachers have in common: their dedication to the young musicians in our programs.
This month, we are featuring John Cross, who is a beloved and dedicated teacher for our Encore lessons as well as the Bergmann Program lessons. We loved talking to John about his favorite musical memory, his advice for young musicians, and the surprising moment he had during a gig which ended up becoming one of his proudest moments as a teacher! Check out our interview below!
Elemental Music: How long have you been teaching for Elemental Music?
John Cross: I have been teaching with Elemental for 6 years, starting in 2016.
EM: How did you get started in music?
JC: My parents are both working musicians, so I grew up around it - rehearsals at the house, watching performances…things like that. When it came time for music in school, it was just a matter of picking which instrument. I knew I was going to be in music.
EM: Like many of our teachers, you're a professional musician as well as a teacher. What inspired you to include music education as part of your career rather than only performance?
JC: I have been lucky to have many great, inspiring teachers throughout my music education. As a professional, it is not just an obligation, but a passion to teach the next generation of players and give back in the same way as my teachers in the past.
EM: What is one of your proudest moments as a teacher?
JC: As a teacher, I have had many proud moments big and small, from getting a single concept in a lesson to a performance at a recital and beyond. My proudest moment came when I was performing a musical and there was a substitute player. As I introduced myself, he asked my last name. When I told him, he reminded me that I had been his teacher briefly. I had taught him to improvise and helped him get into Orange County School of the Arts. He had since become a working musician and was playing with me in a professional setting as a colleague.
EM: What is one of your favorite musical memories?
JC: My favorite musical memory has to be when I got the opportunity to play in the Metropolitan Opera. The setting of the opera house at Lincoln Center in New York and the chance to play with so many amazing musicians made it a very memorable experience.
EM: If you could give our students one piece of advice, musical or otherwise, what would it be?
JC: Practice. Right now. I am half joking, but I do think it is important to make the time to practice whenever you can. Some students think of practicing as this big, impossible task, so they put it off until they can dedicate a large amount of time. I would say break practicing into smaller chunks so that you can play 5-7 minutes at a time throughout the day. Then, you can say “I’m going to practice right now,” and it makes it easier to approach your instrument and practicing.
EM: Is there anything else you’d like to add, that you think might be interesting for our community?
JC: Have fun! Find music that speaks to you and figure out if you can play it on your instrument. There is a lot out there right now and you may just find your song arranged for your instrument. It is important to stay motivated and have fun while learning to play music.