“...[T]eaching is merely a vehicle to describe the truth. Don’t mistake it for the truth itself. A finger pointing at the moon is not the moon. The finger is needed to know where to look for the moon, but if you mistake the finger for the moon itself, you will never know the real moon.”
Dr. Spencer Miller grew up in Minnesota and attended Augsburg College in Minneapolis, graduating summa cum laude. While earning a Master’s degree at the University of Toledo, Spencer worked as an opera accompanist, a Graduate Teacher’s Assistant (GTA), a music director of a church, as well as a freelance jazz pianist. As a student, Spencer earned first prize in the University of Toledo Concerto/Aria Competition in 2015, performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the University Wind Ensemble. While earning his doctorate in music performance at the University of Arizona, Spencer again worked as a GTA, teaching keyboard classes for three years, and ear training for one semester. Living in the Sonoran Desert, he taught private lessons to students of all ages, while also continuing to work as a freelance jazz pianist.
Upon returning to Minnesota, Spencer formed the Second Mouse Jazz Trio, which performed locally until the Coronavirus pandemic, whereupon he shifted his focus to his debut album, Moments of Clarity. As an educator, Spencer’s focus has centered around experiential and discovery-based learning by means of improvisation and composition. As a teacher at the Sarah Jane’s Music School in Minneapolis, Spencer organized improvisation camps as well as improvisation and composition recitals. He helped found the SJMS On Stage Program, which brings young musicians together to play pop and rock music. He currently coaches six rock bands as part of the program, and his groups have performed at the 7th Street Entry, Sociable Cider, Fair State Brewing Coop, Broken Clock Brewing, and Pilllar Forum Cafe.
Spencer opened his own private teaching studio in 2021, and offers both piano lessons and songwriting lessons.