Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Robertson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Boston University and have always loved music and learning. I have taught overseas in Japan and China, and since 2016 I have resided in Wake Forest with my husband and yellow lab, Leia. When I returned to the States after living abroad, I realized that I enjoyed working for myself and having more control over what, when and how I taught. That is when Robertson Music Studio was born! It started in an 800 square foot apartment with just a few students in the evenings until today, a full time Studio of roughly 70 students who keep me busy all week long! My students study a variety of instruments and range from ages 5 to 18. I love the relationships that I have built working for families in my Studio and how well I get to know them all. This connection is harder to build when you are working in a larger school setting. I also love the fact that I get to work from my home studio with my sweet lab, Leia. The students love being around her too!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There is always a risk when going out on your own when it’s up to you to bring in work! This was definitely scary for me! I would say the first growth area I identified was my communication skills. I was not only teaching music but also developing relationships with people, and that takes effort, time, intentionality and patience. I had to shift my mentality of just sending out an email or asking my boss to help me to actually handling everything on my own. I have definitely learned a lot about how to build trust, work with different personality types and communicate effectively. I continue to grow in this area each day. I will also say, that even though this step was scary, I am SO GLAD that I did it. I wanted to grow, and I knew I would only grow by doing something that is uncomfortable for me at first.
The second item that was a huge learning curve for me was all the behind the scenes business tasks that people usually don’t think about when I tell them that I teach music! Handling finances, taxes, managing insurance, an LLC, budgeting, inventory, bookkeeping, scheduling, and streamlining all the processes that go into a day’s work was definitely a huge mental hurdle. I remember my first phone call with my CPA and he literally had to tell me the definition of every term he used because I had no idea what anything meant! Learning all of the behind the scenes business aspects was daunting for sure!
The last challenge that I will share would be maintaining momentum and keeping students moving forward musically. My goal is to make learning fun, but it does still require a certain amount of focus, discipline and grit. I can be as fun and absolutely motivating as possible, but at the end of the day, the student has to put in the work. These are difficult skills to teach! I find myself constantly doing a balancing act to keep students engaged and interested, but at the same time encouraging work ethic, professionalism and quality musicianship that the art form deserves. The really cool thing that I hope my students realize is that once you put in the time, discipline and effort, music does gives back to you in a special way and can bring an immense amount of joy! If you invest in it, the returns are great!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My classical training is in orchestral music, specifically Bassoon Performance. Upon graduating from High School, I went to study in Rochester, New York at the Eastman School of Music, a highly competitive, rigorous music conservatory that I was eager to attend and was my “dream school.” I spent 4 years of my undergraduate there and decided to double major in Bassoon Performance and Music Education. I loved learning, so the Education courses really opened a lot of doors for me that I enjoyed exploring. Music is such an in-depth art that has infinite aspects you can analyze and study. One that is most intriguing for me is how people learn music. I dove deep into the Music Learning Theory, which was developed by two of my college Professors, Dr. Chris Azzara and Dr. Richard Grunow. It teaches that music is primarily learned auditorily, similar to language. Music is also deeply connected to the human emotion and can communicate things that words cannot. It weaves humans together regardless of all other differences. This is why I love the art. A perfect example of this is my experience teaching abroad. I am thankful to have been able to teach Japanese students for two years and then move to China to teach an even more diverse population for another two years. Chinese, Brazilian, Indonesian, Indian and Korean students were in my classroom, just to name a few! Communicating with words was often a challenge, but the moment the music started, no words were needed. I will forever cherish the time I was able to spend with these students in Asia.
Another aspect of my artistic development is a new venture that I started about two years ago: learning the cello! I had taken a couple of classes in college about the instrument, but I really wanted to learn to play it, and I needed a creative and artistic outlet. Learning something new as an adult is humbling and it reminds me what my students go through since they are learning things new to them as well. We adults sometimes think we know everything, and it’s important to do new things to remind ourselves that we don’t.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up I was a pretty quiet and shy person who kept to herself. Music was where I found my voice- creating emotion and expressing my thoughts and feelings. I attribute my growth in confidence and joy greatly to the start of my faith as a Christian in my early 20’s. The more that I got to know who Jesus is and His thoughts about me, the more confidence and great peace I found.
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Image Credits
Marie Obando
