Starting Lessons
Trial Lesson
Before beginning lessons, I invite prospective students to attend an introductory trial lesson. The trial lesson will give you a sense for my teaching style, an overview of how lessons progress, and allows me to answer any questions you have before beginning lessons. Please contact me if you'd like to arrange a time to meet.
Private Lessons & Performances
Weekly private lessons are offered in 30, 45, or 60 minute lesson slots depending on a student's age and experience. Students have the opportunity to perform in three solo recitals every year — two informal and one formal. For more information on the way I teach, please see Teaching Approach.
Suzuki Instruction
For more information on Suzuki instruction, please see Suzuki Method.
Young Beginners
Through the study of music children not only experience the joy of expressing themselves musically, but they develop essential life skills such as concentration, the ability to identify and work through challenges, performance skills, and perseverance. Most importantly, by learning how to play an instrument, children learn how to learn.
During the first few years of learning the violin, many critical habits are formed that either limit or expand a student’s potential. I place great importance on developing a solid foundation (including healthy posture, beautiful tone production, ear training, practice techniques, and music reading) from the beginning so that students are able to progress without limitations.
Depending on your child’s age and experience, I will recommend Suzuki instruction, a modified Suzuki approach, or traditional violin instruction. For young students, a parent's active involvement is essential. Parents attend lessons with their children and act as "home teachers" during daily practice sessions.
Adult Beginners
The benefits of learning the violin as an adult are numerous. Studying a musical instrument is a challenging, fulfilling, and refreshing pastime. It allows you to deepen your understanding and appreciation of music and provides you with a skill to enjoy throughout your life. In addition, there are few experiences more valuable than that of becoming a beginner again.
The primary goal of music is to communicate. Therefore, during lessons we will develop the tools to express yourself through music. I place great importance on developing a solid foundation (including healthy posture, beautiful tone production, ear training, and music reading) from the beginning so that students are able to progress without limitations. As most of a student’s learning takes place outside of lessons, I believe it is also essential to teach my students how to practice effectively.
Intermediate & Advanced
At the intermediate and advanced levels, students encounter increasingly demanding repertoire and new techniques such as shifting, vibrato, a wider variety of bow strokes, double stops, and chords. It is at this stage that many students hit road blocks. Together, we will identify and work through these barriers, giving you the tools to realize your full potential. I strongly believe that all technical and musical problems can be systematically broken down and taught.
"Simply trying harder often makes things worse. Everything is a matter of cause and effect, which means that for every specific action there is a specific reaction. If you carry on performing the same actions, you can expect to keep getting the same reactions or results.
Simon Fischer
Instead, the answer is always to change something. The slightest change in what you are doing, or how you are doing it, will always bring about a completely new result."