Tim Byrnes had been playing and teaching music in New York City for over twenty years
before he and his wife Sonia moved to New Jersey. While in New York City, he worked for
sixteen years as a music teacher at St. Luke’s School in the West Village. It was there that he
proved himself to be a master of instrumental music education, raising several generations of
students with a love for playing music together in a variety of creative formats, including rock
band ensembles and concert band wind ensembles. His students participated in concert
performances at community venues, live radio broadcasts, and studio recordings produced
at professional music studios.

After St. Luke’s, Tim taught at Wagner Middle School (MS 167), a public school in the Upper
East Side, which boasts the largest middle school concert band program in Manhattan. Tim’s
time at Wagner straddled the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave him the opportunity to
successfully make the move from traditional school band rehearsals of one hundred students,
to remote music education when necessary, using a variety of innovative technological
platforms. While at Wagner, Tim also worked in the ELA / English department.

Starting in early 2022, Tim began collaborating with his friend Darvin Lau, teaching at The Bay
Ridge School of Music in Brooklyn, further honing not only his teaching skills, but also his skills in
community development, working with special needs students, and outreach. Since moving
to New Jersey, Tim has begun working at the Robert Treat Academy in Newark, NJ teaching K
– 8 music, leading both the band and guitar programs there.

Tim has a unique approach to teaching which focusses on instrumental performance,
practical music theory, improvisation, and composition. While he mostly works with young
people, he has accepted and inspired a significant group of adult students as well. He holds
a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from New York University, plus a Master’s degree in Music
Education from Hunter College.

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TEACHING PHILOSOPHY​

​My philosophy of teaching music revolves around three key points: mentorship, quality and diverse repertoire, and the fostering of deep appreciation.

 

MENTORSHIP

As a mentor, I aim to discover and work with each student’s personal creative process in a way that brings out their best. I am always challenging my students to expand their vistas, while continually affirming them on their journey. My long experience with Christian ministry over the years has greatly informed my mentoring skills. Cultivating a loving and positive learning environment is always a top priority for me.

REPERTOIRE
My approach to repertoire reflects my own life as an urban artist, so there is not one musical style or mode of expression that is off the table in my classroom. My approach is personal but has also been informed by my background with Kodaly training. I have worked comfortably and passionately in classical music, jazz, rock, pop, and even hip-hop and heavy metal music both inside and outside of the various schools that I have taught at. Every student’s sonic palette is different, and every student’s palette is expanding. I was a child, somewhat, of the “pre-Internet” generation. Thus, I have celebrated the expansion of technology in the ways that it fosters creativity and accessibility.

APPRECIATION
I have also worked hard to keep the modern student’s temptation to distraction from robbing them of a deep appreciation for and experience with music. Every classroom that I teach in has an element of listening and thorough exploring of musical context, theory, and history. I encourage students to be deep listeners who know their music inside and out.