Richard Masters

Excellence in Teaching Spotlight by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Virginia Tech

The Excellence in Teaching Spotlight, presented by the center to approximately nine Virginia Tech faculty members each academic year, recognizes a faculty member's effective, engaged, and dynamic approaches and achievements as an educator.

Among the goals of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning are advancing experiential learning at Virginia Tech and improving student learning through research-based instructional practices and student-centered design. According to Masters, his approach to teaching focuses on tailoring his teaching to each individual student: “Although I have specific musical priorities that I emphasize with all of my students, I try to treat every student as an individual. I was lucky enough to have wonderful teachers.”

One of Masters’ former students, Travis Whaley, expressed his gratitude for Masters’ teaching, mentorship, and friendship, even after graduating: “I’m grateful to have worked with Dr. Masters during my time at Virginia Tech and I’m even more grateful that he has remained a friend and mentor since I graduated. In the piano lessons I had with him, he was patient but meticulous; he knows what his students are capable of and will work with you until you achieve it. His skills as a teacher in the classroom are unmatched. Not only do his students learn the course material, but also valuable research and writing skills. Through my classes with Dr. Masters, I learned how to think critically about any musical issue or historical document. Dr. Masters modeled how to be both a performer and a scholar, giving me an example to live up to in my academic career and the type of mentor I strive to be for my own students.”

Collin Deans, another one of Masters’ former students, highlighted Masters’ deep knowledge and expertise, as well as his ability to meet his students where they are: "It was truly a privilege to have been able to study piano with Dr. Masters. When I first began as his student, I had a very narrow view of what it meant to be “good” at my instrument, but with patience (and a lot of dry humor!) he helped me see how to approach my instrument both intellectually and artistically. His knowledge of music and exceptional ability in his instrument made every lesson a gold mine, even when I hadn’t practiced as much as I should have. There wasn’t a single student in my cohort who held Dr. Masters in anything less than the highest respect. His ability to meet you where you are and to help you see just how much farther you can go - whether it be in private piano lessons, vocal coachings, opera workshops, or musical theatre productions - is unparalleled. I believe I speak for many when I say that Dr. Masters has forever impacted those of us who had the privilege of learning from him."

Masters provided the following advice for new college teachers: “Be kind, be encouraging, and at the same time, set high expectations. Most students want someone to give them the tools they need to succeed and to push them to work hard. If you can challenge a student while making it clear that you do so from a place of respect and love, you will be the teacher they remember—not just as someone who was a bit of a pain, but as someone who genuinely cared about the subject and the learning process.”