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Christina Bakke, M.M.Christina Bakke (Withers) has 30+ years of experience playing the piano and 20+ years of experience teaching the instrument. She has a Masters of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Northern Iowa. She has taught piano lessons independently in Minnesota, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas to students of all ages and abilities.
During her Master's program, she held an assistantship as an instructor of undergraduate group piano courses and private applied lessons, and served as Staff Accompanist and Musical Director for various musical theatre groups at the Sooner Theatre in Norman, OK. Additional coursework included Elementary Education, Piano Pedagogy, and Performance Psychology -- exploring the art of performance and self-trust on stage. It was in Oklahoma that Christina developed a great enjoyment of collaborating with fellow musicians, and welcomes any opportunity to play duets with students, or coaching siblings and friends to play together. Christina is an active member of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA), and Burnsville Area Music Teachers Association (BAMTA). When she's not teaching, Christina enjoys spending time with her family (and studio mascot pup Diesel), biking, playing soccer, cooking, and exploring new instruments and areas of music. She is an active teacher, collaborative pianist, and performer. Students have the opportunity to work with Christina in her private studio in Mendota Heights, MN, or online lessons can be arranged. |
Philosophy
Every student is unique. Each student brings their own set of strengths, interests, and goals -- and lessons should reflect these uniquenesses, too! Lessons focus on developing well-rounded musicians through a variety of musical genres through healthy technique, conceptual understanding, creativity, and appreciation of music. Students explore a mixture of Classical and popular repertoire, in addition to transposition, chord charts, ear training, memorization, theory, and collaboration.