Teaching philosophy
As part of my brain-based approach to music teaching, I employ the Socratic method of asking the student questions based on their current knowledge and the Spiral method of layering knowledge upon knowledge. Students will feel safe to experiment, fail, and try again. Students will be challenged as much as they wish to be. Students will develop comprensive musicianship skills, including sight-playing, music theory, technique, memorization skills, composition, and improvisation.
Piano methods I use include: Piano Adventures, Piano Pronto, Alfred Premier Piano Course, and Music Tree. In addition, piano students will benefit from following the MMTA Piano Exam Syllabus, whether or not they choose to participate in the exams. I am in the process of becoming certified in Alan Fraser's Pianimals piano technique, based in Feldenkrais' Awareness Through Movement.
Voice lessons are based in the Bel Canto tradition and informed by the latest voice science. Repertoire ranges from folk to Classical to Musical Theatre.
Siri Caltvedt, NCTM
... teaches voice and piano at her home studio in Minneapolis and online. She started teaching private lessons almost by accident in 1997 and quickly fell in love! She taught voice at Bethel University and was a teaching assistant at the 2007 Asolo Song Festival in Italy. Her students have been prize-winners in NATS, MMTA, and MTNA competitions. She majored in Music at Smith College and has Masters degrees in orchestral conducting from Southern Methodist University and voice and piano performance from the University of South Dakota. She moved to the Twin Cities in 2005 to continue vocal studies with John DeHaan. Siri is a soloist at Christ Church Lutheran and in independent performance projects, including several performances of Schubert’s Winter-reise. She has been working with Voices of Hope, the choir program at Minnesota Correctional Facility—Shakopee, since July 2017. Pre-pandemic, she offered a voice class and assisted with choir rehearsals. She is a sought-after clinician, adjudicator, and speaker. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, writing, and watching movies.