Tampa Bay Music Academy is excited to welcome John Chatterton as the newest member of our music faculty! He has been hired to teach cello and piano for TBMA.
John is a rising composer/performer/teacher aspiring to dedicate his musical life to collaboration. As a composer, John has worked with composers such as Steven Stucky and Christopher Theofanidis, and ensembles such as Gaudete Brass Quintet and the Mivos String Quartet, both of whom performed his pieces “Picayune” for Brass Quintet, and “I Dream My Dream” for String Quartet. In June of 2013 John attended the Chamber Music Institute at the University at Nebraska-Lincoln as the cellist of the Mélange Quartet, to study with the renown Escher String Quartet. In 2012 he participated in a masterclass with Yo Yo Ma, and in 2013 a masterclass with Dawn Upshaw and Gilbert Kalish.
John received an award in 2012 for “Best Composition” for solo violin, performed and recorded by violinist Maureen Yuen. This award was presented to Mr. Chatterton at SUNY Fredonia where he completed his Dual Bachelors of Music in Music Composition and Music Performance. John held the principle position for the USF College Symphony Orchestra and is a sectional coach for the Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestras. He participates annually in the Carl Fischer Strings Recordings for public school orchestras across the nation, and performs with the Venice Symphony, Pensacola Symphony, and Port Charlotte Symphony. He has participated in the Brancaleoni Music Festival in Piobbico Italy from 2017-2018 and performs frequently with his ensembles 4Cellos&Piano and the Alfajores Duet. John is originally from Oswego, New York and presently resides in Tampa, Florida where completed his Masters of Music Degree with a Teaching Assistantship under Scott Kluksdahl and Helga Winold at the University of South Florida. John has been teaching for ten years privately and with the Queen of All Saints Mary School, and is a current acting clinician for Wiregrass and Strawberry Crest Schools. He has experience with Alexander Technique and during his studies promoted music health and safety through body awareness while heading the Fredonia, NY Chapter of the American String Teachers Association as President for 5 years.
To help our students and their families get to know John, we asked him a few questions about his musical goals and experiences:
TBMA: What is your favorite musical memory?
John: I have had some incredible experiences in music that will never leave my memory banks and that I will always cherish. I’ve played with Yo Yo Ma, and I’ve performed as a soloist with an orchestra, performed in Italy but nothing will compare to my composition recital for my bachelor’s in composition. The feelings of incandescent joy and bewilderment overwhelmed me, seeing over 60 people give up so much of their time to bring a long and tedious musical endeavor to fruition and perform and record my orchestra piece. That has been my favorite musical memory thus far, and has helped me to see how important collaboration is and all it has to offer in today’s world of music.
TBMA: What is your favorite musical work that you have personally performed?
John: The Six Bach Cello Suites are my living and dying passion. I’ve performed all 6 Suites, two and a half hours of breathtaking music, as well as my most challenging and unending pursuit.
TBMA: What do you love about teaching?
John: I love being able to show how wonderful music can be to any person. That moment when my student achieves something, a realization that all the hard work does pay off and encourages them to continue. The natural positive feedback and their fueled self-determination is what I live for.
TBMA: How did you know you wanted to teach?
John: I knew I wanted to teach the moment I entered my collegiate studies. Being a self taught cellist before college due to financial difficulties prevented me from having the advantages of a teacher and therefore motivated me to want to give that to students seeking out music.
TBMA: What is your favorite teaching method?
John: I don’t believe in sticking to one particular teaching method when there are so many wonderful forms and methods out there. I prefer to give my students the best advantage and utilize a multitude of methods in an organized manner. That includes composition, alexander technique, Suzuki, improvisation, aural skills etc.
TBMA: When do you recommend starting private music lessons?
John: I do not have a specific age, instead I recommend a student to start lessons as soon as they show willingness and a reasonable level of comprehension left at the discretion of the teacher.
TBMA: What do you enjoy doing outside the music studio?
John: I am a simple and content person living in music. I love to improvise, fiddle, and dabble in Period Performance amongst my composition and collaborative endeavors. I’m not one for long walks on the beach but I am an avid golfer and a hound for coffee.
TBMA: What brought you to TBMA?
John: I heard about this school, their tendencies and regulations and immediately thought how innovative the school and their staff were, and the desire to grow was evident. It appeared to be a place where this culmination of family-oriented professionalism was of the utmost importance and I wanted to be a part of that.
We’re excited to have John Chatterton on our team as we seek to provide the best in quality music instruction to each of our students.
Welcome to TBMA, John!
This is a TBMA original article written for our Tampa Bay Music Academy readership by Susan McClure. If you find it to be helpful, we would love for you to re-post it on your blog. Please contact us first for permission. Visit our website home for information on finding a music teacher in Tampa, Odessa, Land O’ Lakes, Citrus Park, Westchase, New Port Richey, Lutz, Trinity, Keystone, or Tarpon Springs Florida who offers private piano lessons, guitar lessons, saxophone lessons, voice lessons, drum lessons, violin lessons, cello lessons, flute lessons, or music lessons in any other instrument proficiency category. TBMA teachers (piano, guitar, voice, flute, cello, violin, woodwinds, brass, strings, drums, percussion) pride themselves in a reputation for an uncompromising commitment to excellence and special care taken for every student. We remain absolutely committed to providing an outstanding enrollment experience beyond any other in the region. Call us today. We look forward to hearing from you!