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Beth Sampsel , Flute Instructor
Flutist Beth Sampsel is enthusiastic about teaching in Oak Ridge. A former Knoxville resident, she has not one, but two Bachelor’s degrees from UT – one in Flute Performance and one in Instrumental Music Education. In addition she’s done some work toward a Master’s degree, but presently finds her life rearranged by the addition of two young children.
Originally a native of Oneida, Tennessee, Sampsel taught elementary music in Grainger County and with the Knox County School System and has lived in the Atlanta area, where she was in demand as a performer.
Not surprisingly, she feels that teaching music is a high calling and a chance to share the wisdom she has picked up from other teachers. “The thing I like the most is helping my students learn a skill that they can be proud of, and be confident in sharing with others,” she explains.
Talking about why she feels strongly about the advantage of taking private lessons, she says “It’s a lot easier to learn something right in the first place than to unlearn it and then relearn. We’re not computers, able to hit ‘delete’ to change our habits quickly.” Continuing, she adds that she’d started playing flute in her school’s fifth grade band, and then spent her first two years of college fixing the bad habits she’d learned.
Sampsel tries to strike a good balance between technical aspects, in terms of theory, scales and sight reading, but notes that each lesson depends on the particular skills her students are working on.
Tellingly, she gives new students a paper listing the many reasons for learning a music skill. It starts: “Music has the ability to inspire the human race, and can have a positive influence on human lives. I teach because I love children of all ages and I love music! I believe that through music, students can learn to express emotion, develop self discipline and improve their abstract thinking skills, all the while having a great time and learning a skill that they can use and enjoy for the rest of their lives.”Last updated:
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