My earliest memories are related to music. I remember listening to my Sesame Street Disco 8-track tape and Rockin' Robin 45 while I played along on my Fisher-Price xylophone; my grandfather would record cassette tapes of us singing; the first song I learned from the radio was Pink Floyd's The Wall - It had children singing and I assumed they were singing about Humpty Dumpty; my mother had taught guitar and my dad's brother is a Music Teacher. Music was always in my life.
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Music was my favorite subject in school and in the fourth grade I began taking flute lessons. This is when I first met the late Gary McNamara ("Mr. Mac") who would be my musical instructor through high school and one of my mentors as an adult. I was an active member of the Canton High School Drama Club and Band. During my junior year in high school, Mr. Mac encouraged me to start singing.
I attended Bridgewater State and studied English Language Arts and Secondary Education. When I was 19, I met Arlo Guthrie. Upon learning that I was an English major he told me his father would say "if you want people to hear your message, sing it to a tune people already know." Thus began my fascination with singer/songwriters.
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With the help of my friend Jack, I learned to play the guitar, because I couldn't play the flute and sing at the same time! Over the next few years, we discovered Club Passim in Cambridge and many local artists like Dar Williams and Mary Lou Lord. I began performing at random open mics with Jack and over the years and subsequently began performing solo. Over the next few years, I built a student base teaching guitar, voice, and flute, and I continued to perform live.
I consider music to be an art form that is fundamental to society. I see music as a practice not much different than the study of law or medicine. Therefore, it is my goal to use the fundamentals of music to teach students how to develop their general cognitive abilities, discover their unique talents and to share those talents to benefit themselves and others. This means I place high importance on the following:
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Developing a working knowledge of the basics of music theory
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The ability to read standard written music notation
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A thorough understanding of how the student's chosen instrument works to produce sound
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Using the above concepts to consistently strive to improve skill and ability on the student's chosen instrument
Furthermore, I would like all of my students to support and foster the talents of their peers, and to have the confidence to share their experiences and knowledge with the next generation of musicians and music lovers. I understand that it's not easy to learn a musical instrument so I strive to make learning the fundamentals fun and rewarding by explaining how to practice at home, setting realistic expectations for progress and providing fun listening recommendations for each student.
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Experience and Credentials
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BA from Bridgewater State University English Literature and Secondary Education
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Has been playing:
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Flute since 1985
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Voice since 1992
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Guitar since 2002
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Robin has a background in musical theater, stagecraft, singing, and songwriting.
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Robin's musical heroes are Lori McKenna, a singer/songwriter from Stoughton, and Mandy Harvey, a singer who lost her hearing but retrained herself to perform with tuners and feeling vibrations.
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Additional musical influences include Woody & Arlo Guthrie, the Carter Family, Dar Williams, Nerissa & Katryna Nields, and Mary Lou Lord.
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Robin's theatrical Influences include Stephen Sondheim, Leah Salonga, Idina Menzel, Kristen Chenoweth, and Jim Sturgess. Favorite productions include Miss Saigon, Godspell, and RENT.
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Robin is available for lessons on Wednesdays-Saturdays