Boston Teaching Artist

Imaginaries and Discourses
by Aleksandre Roderick-Lorenz

Boston Teaching Artist: Macky Caldoza

Anne Marie Caldoza has been an active performer and teacher in Boston for the last seven years. She enjoys a dynamic and versatile career as a collaborative pianist, body mapping specialist and teacher. She is originally from the Philippines, where she began her music education at the age of 12, under Najib Ismail. In 2013, she graduated with honours from University of Santo Tomas in Manila, where she studied piano performance. She then moved to Massachusetts, where she continued her graduate studies at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and completed both, her masters and a performance diploma.

She has received praise for her dynamic interpretations that range from Western classical repertoire, to Filipino music. Her impeccable artistry has earned her various recognitions and prizes such as the 2nd Prize from the Asia International Piano Academy, UST Chopin Competition and PTGP Bach Competition. She also obtained the honourable mention title at the National Music Competition for Young Artists, as well as at the PTGP Mozart and Haydn.

An avid player, Ms. Caldoza has received guidance from a plethora of acclaimed artists such as Peter Serkin, Igor Levitt, Spencer Myer, Yoonie Han, Victor Asuncion, Reynaldo Reyes, Aries Caces, Pascal Rogé, Mariel Ilusorio, Benjamin Loh, Andrew Ma Cong, Dorian Leljak, amongst others. Her illustrious accomplishments have led her to perform at important venues such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines, PhilAm Life Theater and Ayala Museum. As a soloist, she has appeared in concert with the UST Symphony Orchestra, the Manila Symphony Orchestra and the Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation.

She currently serves on the faculties of Note-Worthy Experiences and the Community Music Center of Boston. Ms. Caldoza is a passionate educator who has made a huge impact in the Greater Boston area through her meticulous teaching and burning desire to create equitable and safe learning spaces for all of her students.

Q & A with Anne Marie Caldoza:

Q: What is Teaching Artistry?
A: Teaching Artistry is the intersection of being a performer and an educator. To me, it is the ability to create moments of understanding, empathy, and joy, whether it be from a stage in front of an audience or in a classroom full of students. It is being able to present music in a way that is relatable and memorable.

Q: What do you enjoy most about being a Teaching Artist?
A: What I enjoy most about being a teaching artist/educator is building relationships. These relationships can exist within different levels, such as relationships with each other, instruments, personal history/culture, greater communities, or with music itself. I feel that in music education, those relationships are the most important to foster because it helps with building interest, curiosity, and joy. It is a pathway to learning how to navigate self-expression in ways that do not involve words, as well as gaining skills that help throughout different facets of our daily lives.

Q: What do you value most as a performer?
A: In recent years, I have been performing programs of Filipino music. I am Filipino and I have always struggled with finding music that I genuinely enjoy within the western classical repertoire. I love going down the rabbit hole of underrepresented composers or music from different cultures and being able to share that with audiences and students alike.

Q: Do you believe music has the power to change the world?
A: I believe the skills gained through learning music could change the world. Learning music is not just about being able to replicate a tune. It is about learning how to develop a practice process, how to make informed decisions on interpretation of music, and building the self-confidence necessary to make positive contributions to any social circle that you are a part of.

Q: How important is it for music education to be a part of a school’s curriculum?
A: Music education is highly important as part of a curriculum; I cannot emphasize that enough. What a lot of people do not seem to understand, is that behind any school’s production, performance or presentation there are countless hours of hard work involved. Leading up to a performance, there are so many skills being fostered and developed. The students had been learning how to be literate in another language; reading notes, the ability to identify sounds and instruments. There is resilience and grit in the process; learning how to practice, problem solve, to have goals and not give up on them. Learning to work with other people… There is so much to be gained in having a holistic curriculum that incorporates the arts because it shows value for being human and being part of a larger community.

Q: What is body mapping?
A: Body Mapping for musicians is a method of learning your body’s structure and how that informs movement and technique for a specific instrument. It helps with injury prevention and in creating a more sustainable practice and technique within an instrument. It is an approach that I believe a lot of musicians can benefit from, since it can aid with being able to play successfully and in the way the artist desires.

Aleksandre Roderick-Lorenz joined the CNY Latino newspaper’s writing team in December 2020. There, he will be writing a new column on assorted and interesting topics. His interests include professional interviews, music, art, film, literature, metaphysics, gay culture, spirituality, education, history, and politics. His column will receive the following epithet: Imaginaries and Discourses. To read about him, head over to cnylatinonewspaper.com and search for him by his name. You can also send questions or comments about his column to the following email: aleks@cnylatino.com.