A St. Robert woman was recently named the 2009 Missouri Music Teacher of the Year.
Kathy Miller, a private piano music instructor for over 25 years, was named by the Missouri Music Teachers Association in June and was chosen out of hundreds of applications that were submitted.
“I was delighted,” Miller said.
But being nominated for the prestigious award isn’t anything new to Miller, who said that she was a finalist for the award in 2007.
“It was between me and a friend of mine,” she said.
Miller, who described herself as being “very gifted,” began her music career when she was about eight or nine. She taught herself to play the piano at that time, she said.
She attended Southwest Baptist University, where she received a bachelor of music education degree with a double major in voice, piano and clarinet. Miller gives much of her credit to one of her former teachers at the university, Nancy Brown, as the “biggest influence” in her life, who pushed her further. She also studied for two years at Missouri State University in piano pedagogy.
Music is something that Miller loves and everyone knows it. She said she gets up every morning — often in her pajamas — and will head to her piano, where she listens to National Public Radio and drinks coffee. She said that the mailman and her neighbors know her routine.
“They all know Kathy’s practicing,” Miller said with a smile.
Miler has taught at Thayer Elementary at Fort Leonard Wood for five years before venturing into starting her own private practice out of her home in 1982.
Miller also enjoys teaching others her craft.
“Reading music always made sense to me,” she said. “It’s not easy for everybody.”
But music involves playing and thinking.
“You have to be a real psychologist,” she said. “You have to think how they think.”
She also said that she knew the application process would be difficult.
“I knew it was going to be a lot of work,” adding that she had to contact people in the past as part of it.
But hard work doesn’t come easy, according to Miller.
“There’s a lot of components for success,” she said.
She also gets enjoyment out of her own students’ success as well.
“It’s always fun when the light bulb goes on in the kids’ head,” she said. “It’s always nice when they win.”
Again, Miller noted she likes the thinking part of what she does.
“I like mental challenges,” she said. “It’s not just understanding notes and music.”
She added: “You actually have to teach them how to think like a musician,” a reference to her students.
Miller said that her best students will start at a young age and with adults, it depends on their expectations. She said the adults that she does work with are interested in music theory. Additionally, Miller said that music “is an art form.”
“I try to cram as much as I can,” Miller said.
But she had words of advice for those interested in playing the piano: “If you can’t do 10 push-ups, you can’t play the piano.”
“It’s really fun to play,” she said. “It has to be mental and physical at the same time.”
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A St. Robert woman was recently named the 2009 Missouri Music Teacher of the Year.
Kathy Miller, a private piano music instructor for over 25 years, was named by the Missouri Music Teachers Association in June and was chosen out of hundreds of applications that were submitted.
“I was delighted,” Miller said.
But being nominated for the prestigious award isn’t anything new to Miller, who said that she was a finalist for the award in 2007.
“It was between me and a friend of mine,” she said.
Miller, who described herself as being “very gifted,” began her music career when she was about eight or nine. She taught herself to play the piano at that time, she said.
She attended Southwest Baptist University, where she received a bachelor of music education degree with a double major in voice, piano and clarinet. Miller gives much of her credit to one of her former teachers at the university, Nancy Brown, as the “biggest influence” in her life, who pushed her further. She also studied for two years at Missouri State University in piano pedagogy.
Music is something that Miller loves and everyone knows it. She said she gets up every morning — often in her pajamas — and will head to her piano, where she listens to National Public Radio and drinks coffee. She said that the mailman and her neighbors know her routine.
“They all know Kathy’s practicing,” Miller said with a smile.
Miler has taught at Thayer Elementary at Fort Leonard Wood for five years before venturing into starting her own private practice out of her home in 1982.
Miller also enjoys teaching others her craft.
“Reading music always made sense to me,” she said. “It’s not easy for everybody.”
But music involves playing and thinking.
“You have to be a real psychologist,” she said. “You have to think how they think.”
She also said that she knew the application process would be difficult.
“I knew it was going to be a lot of work,” adding that she had to contact people in the past as part of it.
But hard work doesn’t come easy, according to Miller.
“There’s a lot of components for success,” she said.
She also gets enjoyment out of her own students’ success as well.
“It’s always fun when the light bulb goes on in the kids’ head,” she said. “It’s always nice when they win.”
Again, Miller noted she likes the thinking part of what she does.
“I like mental challenges,” she said. “It’s not just understanding notes and music.”
She added: “You actually have to teach them how to think like a musician,” a reference to her students.
Miller said that her best students will start at a young age and with adults, it depends on their expectations. She said the adults that she does work with are interested in music theory. Additionally, Miller said that music “is an art form.”
“I try to cram as much as I can,” Miller said.
But she had words of advice for those interested in playing the piano: “If you can’t do 10 push-ups, you can’t play the piano.”
“It’s really fun to play,” she said. “It has to be mental and physical at the same time.”
