Jessica Di Mari
What do you teach at the Prep Center?
Musicianship and ear training.
Why did you begin taking music lessons?
One of my teachers in elementary school would play the piano for us. I fell in love with the sounds and the songs she played and aspired to play as well as she did.
How old were you when you started music lessons?
I was seven when I started to learn the piano, and I was 11 when I started to learn the violin.
How do you vary your approach when you teach children at different ages and levels?
I include interactive games and more examples at the piano for younger children to keep them engaged. With older children, I will start to include more theory worksheets.
What are your most important goals for your students?
My most important goals for my students are that after taking my class they leave with the knowledge to read, write, and understand basic music concepts, such as key signatures, time signatures, and rhythm, as well as apply it to their own creative purposes when writing songs.
What are the most important recommendations that you give to parents whose children study music?
Always encourage your children to practice their instruments, and support them.
What do you like best about teaching music?
I like seeing children be able to expand their horizons creatively, and giving them the tools necessary to participate in the musical world around them.
What are your favorite accomplishments?
Graduating magna cum laude; being nominated for a National Board of Review Award for my work on the film soundtrack Klaus and for the Best Original Film Score for my work in the Terror Film Festival; receiving the Morton Feldman Composition Award for excellence in music composition regardless of style and the Kadish Millet Composer Award for special talent in songwriting; and winning the Brooklyn Museum’s Score the Fountain Contest.
