About Spencer Koscik
Cellist Spencer Koscik enjoys a budding career as a chamber musician and orchestral player. Previously a member of the symphonies in Dubuque, Iowa and LaCrosse, Wisconsin, he left those jobs to pursue a master’s degree at CU-Boulder. Spencer’s onstage appearances include performances with the Colorado Symphony, the New World Symphony, the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, the Caroga Lake Arts Collective, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra. Over the course of three summers performing at the Aspen Music Festival, Spencer had the opportunity to transform his playing under the tutelage of world class teachers. Spencer’s primary teachers are Andrew Bain, Alex Keinle and Erik Ralske.
As a teacher, Spencer’s career has encompassed multiple settings, instruments, and genres. Spencer began his teaching career in high school by teaching cello lessons. Here he learned to treasure the skills of explaining concepts from the ground up, nurturing student’s attention to detail, and encouraging their musical expression. Spencer also uses his experiences of dealing with injury and harsh teachers to inform his own teaching. During his master’s, he took a year off of school to address his jaw pain caused by playing horn. During that time, he worked as an educational aide in a 5th grade beginning strings classroom. The opportunity reminded him of the things that really matter in music: self expression, building community, and having fun. Spencer’s research in injury prevention informs his teaching philosophy. Playing without pain and playing well under pressure come from the same process. Learners of music must find a way to move freely, or they will choke under pressure and playing will be physically uncomfortable. Without these skills, learners are more likely to quit music because it becomes uncomfortable, and they can’t achieve consistency in their results. Through attention to relaxation while maintaining the highest standards of playing, learners can build movement patterns that will lead to a lifelong love of music.
