Elisa R  

5

  5.0 (7)

Instruments: Voice, Violin, Viola, Music
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Folk

My love for music and teaching has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember. I began teaching in middle school when my orchestra teacher asked me to help with younger students, and I immediately felt at home in that role. By high school, I was tutoring academic subjects as well, and I quickly discovered that guiding others in their learning was something I truly loved. Since then, I’ve continued teaching in both private and group settings, always finding deep fulfillment in helping students grow. I’ve held a variety of teaching and leadership roles, including positions with Portland Youth Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Music Workshop, Oregon Bravo Youth Orchestras, Ventura Harmony Project, and public school districts in California and Oregon. I’m also trained and licensed as a behavioral therapist for children with autism and have contributed to educational psychology research—work that deeply informs my student-centered, empathetic approach to music education. As a violist, I maintain an active performance career with orchestras such as Symphony Tacoma (Assistant Principal), the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, Oregon East Symphony, and others. My journey has taken me from early experiences with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and Oregon All-State Orchestra to international stages in Austria and Canada, with a foundation in both classical and jazz traditions. For me, music and teaching are inseparable passions. Whether I’m performing or guiding a student, I aim to share the joy, connection, and lifelong curiosity that music inspires.

Over my years of experience, I have developed my own method of teaching and pedagogy. I have received training from some of the best living violinists and I have utilized what they taught me, and distilled my teaching down to science. I think of components of playing technique like variables that are manipulated and isolated to refine and improve technical proficiency. I teach people how to practice effectively to save time and learn faster and more efficiently. During my time at Oberlin, I took a certification class specifically about string pedagogy. I am very well versed in various methods of technique training for all instruments in the violin family. With beginners. I teach in a modified Suzuki method that includes music reading after a few months. In general I focus on technique and then add in the more fun musical gestures. I also teach ear-training alongside violin/viola study. I believe that it is incredibly important in mental and aural understanding of music and necessary in creating a complete musician. I love children and also received a BA in Psychology that mostly focused upon Developmental Psychology. This aspect of my education aids in my understanding of a child’s mind and helps me to be sensitive to their needs as young learners. I really care for my students and go out of my way to make sure they receive maximum care in the process of nurturing and developing them as people and musicians.