HELLO, MY NAME IS JENNIFER SOTELO...I'D LIKE TO TELL YOU A LITTLE ABOUT MYSELF... I'M TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OLD AND HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INVOLVED WITH MUSIC SINCE I WAS SIX YEARS OLD. I RECEIVED A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN PIANO PERFORMANCE AND COMPOSITION (SUMMA CUM LAUDE) AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO, AND AM CURRENTLY COMPLETING COURSEWORK FOR MY MASTER'S DEGREE IN THE SAME (RECITALS AND GRADUATION IN FALL 1998, CSU,FRESNO). MY MAJOR TEACHERS HAVE BEEN WILLIAM APRILE OF MODESTO, CA., THE LATE PHILIP LORENZ, AND CURRENTLY, DR. ANDREAS WERZ. DR. JACK FORTNER HAS BEEN MY MENTOR IN COMPOSITION FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. I HAVE DONE QUITE A BIT BETWEEN 1979 AND NOW, BUT I WILL GET TO THAT LATER...

I HAVE BEEN TEACHING PRIVATELY FOR NINE YEARS AND NOW SERVE ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MUSIC TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA, FRESNO COUNTY BRANCH, AS MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY. I AM ALSO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FRESNO CONCERTO COMPETITION, SPONSORED BY THE MTAC.

I HAVE TAUGHT PIANO CLASSES AT PORTERVILLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN WHICH I EMPHASIZED PERFORMANCE, TECHNIQUE, READING AND THEORY. I HAVE ALSO TAUGHT PIANO PROFICIENCY CLASSES TO MUSIC MAJORS AT CSU, FRESNO UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF DR.ANDREAS WERZ AND KAREN WATERS.


I BELIEVE THAT MUSIC WAS MEANT TO BE SHARED, WHETHER THROUGH PERFORMANCE, INSTRUCTION OR COMPOSITION. I TEACH ALL AGES, AS LONG AS THE STUDENT AND/OR PARENTS UNDERSTAND THAT LEARNING MUSIC REQUIRES PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE. I RUN A RELATIVELY STRICT STUDIO, ALTHOUGH I TRY TO MAINTAIN FUN AND LIGHT-HEARTED LESSONS. I REQUIRE MY STUDENTS TO STUDY HARD AND TAKE THE MUSIC SERIOUSLY. THEY MUST STRIVE TO DEVELOPE STRONG THEORY, READING, TECHNICAL AND PERFORMANCE SKILLS. THE DISCIPLINE OF MUSIC IS EQUAL TO THAT OF FOOTBALL, MATH, READING, COOKING, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT ONE CONSIDERS VALUABLE. IT STRENGTHENS CONCENTRATION, INTERPRATIVE SKILLS, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF LIFE.

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