A little about my teaching journey…
Hey there! My name is Douglas and I've been teaching music privately for about 9 years now, and in 2023, I started my Doctorate of Musical Arts journey at the University of South Carolina, where I'm working as the graduate viola teaching assistant.
I didn’t know how much I would love teaching until I caught the bug during my undergrad. All performance majors were required to take string pedagogy during their Junior year. My professor had us teaching at the Joy of Music School in Knoxville, TN giving us a chance to try out our skills. I remember those first lessons were rough but I caught the bug. I still remember the joy of seeing my students figure out something for the first time in lessons and I have been teaching ever since!
Before making the move to Columbia for my DMA, I had the pleasure of teaching at the Augusta University Conservatory program and Carolina Academy of Music where I had a studio of over 20. My students have successfully auditioned for Region/All District/ All-State Orchestras in Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois, and New York. They are also principal musicians in their school and youth orchestras.
I earned my Masters Degree in Viola Performance from Illinois State University. During my time there, I dove deep into pedagogy courses and got great feedback from some amazing master teachers. I've also completed Suzuki Training for Violin/Viola Book 1 and Book 2.
In the past, I was a Suzuki Teacher at the Conservatory of Central Illinois in Champaign, IL. I taught private lessons and had a blast with group Suzuki classes. I've also been a lead teacher for the Illinois State University String Project, working with all 4 levels of classes. If you're interested in learning more, feel free to reach out!
“Our boys have worked with Douglas for 5 years now; one in viola and the other in violin. Douglas has been an excellent teacher, meeting each boy at their level and tailoring lessons to their individual learning styles.”- Jenny H. Bloomington, IL
Teaching Philosophy
Music has positively affected my life in the greatest possible sense, and I have grown to respect it in every form. It is with this great admiration and love that makes teaching music a joy to me and I hope that I can encourage my students to develop their own relationships with music. I believe that everyone has musical ability, no matter how great or small. I hope to create an environment during lessons that is a safe place where students can explore the world of music, develop their own creativity, and uncover who they are as individuals.
Ultimately, I want my students to play with a beautiful sound, great expression, and to do both with the utmost ease. This can only be achieved through the development of a strong technical foundation. So, from the beginning of lessons, I focus on approaching the violin and viola in a relaxed and mindful manner. All “chinstrument” players are built differently so set-up and building of technique should be approached on an individual basis. There is no “one size fits all” approach in my studio. Some students need a regimented etude/scale plan, others need something more free form. No matter what, the techniques covered in lesson will be in a logical, sequential manner.
My approach to teaching is all inclusive. I want to not only teach my students how to play the viola or violin, but to also encourage curiosity in all areas of music, become their own teachers, and appreciate what the practice of violin or viola playing teaches them, even if they do not pursue it as a career. I hope that they will look back on their experience as my student and see it as a time of growth, exploration, and enjoyment.
”My son Henry loves learning with Mr. Temples and both his interest and abilities in violin have increased greatly under Mr. Temples’s guidance. Henry and Mr. Temples have studied together for the past two years both in person and virtually. Mr. Temples is extremely flexible and I appreciate him and the musical interest he has helped to grow in my son.”- Kristen L. Bloomington, IL
“I have had 4 violin teachers and Mr. Temples is my favorite and here is why. He is a kind person and I have learned at least 20 songs from him. I have been with him for 2 years. Also, we have even done virtual lessons and they are still very fun. I feel very accomplished after each lesson. Thank You Mr. Temples.”- Henry L. Bloomington, IL
