Tim Provost Tutoring

I like to start by reviewing material that they've covered in the past to get a sense for their current level of study. Then, I like to talk about specific things that they've particularly liked studying so that I can get a better sense of how to structure my lessons. One of my greatest goals as a teacher is to give my students initiative in their learning while having a clear plan of how to guide them to success, so I try to establish this foundation as quickly as possible. 

In terms of music teaching, I have been playing music for over 10 years and am currently pursuing a music education degree. I have been professionally teaching bass lessons for 4 years and have been tutoring music theory and ear training at the college level for 2 years. In terms of English teaching, I was a writing tutor throughout high school and received 5's on both the AP Language and AP Literature exams. I similarly worked as a science tutor throughout high and received 4's on the AP Chemistry and AP Biology exams.

I began volunteering as a writing tutor as an extracurricular activity during my freshman year of high school. I eventually began tutoring chemistry as well, and during my junior year I was offered my first job as a private music teacher. Since graduating high school I have primarily taught music, although I still greatly enjoy teaching English and science.

I have worked extensively with students ranging from 11 to 21 years in age. My experiences with music education have been my most diverse, and I have been fortunate enough to work long term with complete beginner musicians of all ages as well as those with extensive musical backgrounds. My English and science tutoring has mostly been with high schoolers.

During the winter of 2020, one of my private music students competed at his county's student music festival for the first time ever, and he received outstanding marks from his judges. He was reluctant about performing given his relative newness to the instrument (he had only been playing for about a year and a half at this point), but he put in a lot of hard work and really impressed me with his dedication. I was incredibly proud of him and it was great to see his passion for learning flourish even further after this kind of success.

I would say that in any field, particularly music, a student should look for a teacher who treats them with respect and who listens to their students' ideas. Adaptability is an invaluable trait in a teacher, and it is important for a good teacher to always be self-reflecting and refining their approach for each individual student. I would advise any student to look for a teacher who has a reputation of being clear and concise while still respecting their students' various learning styles.