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Merit Scholarship for four years from New England School
Selected as an honor student in string department of University of Maryland
Hello! I am a freelance violinist and teacher in the DMV area and have a great deal of experience performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra player. I’ve been teaching all levels of violin and viola for over 12 years. I used to teach many talented students in Boston but then moved to Reston, Virginia two years ago. I have studied with renowned violinists such as Sergei Kravchenko from Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, James Buswell from New England Conservatory, Nicholas Kitchen from Borromeo Quartet, and David Salness from University of Maryland. I am a passionate teacher. I believe technique is important but it is equally important to understand how to interpret the music. Above all, I believe learning music should be fun and rewarding. Looking forward to meeting enthusiastic students.
I have 12 years of experience teaching at all levels. I encourage my students to participate in recitals, competitions, and orchestra auditions to gain performance experience and to help motivate them to practice. I also find that performing can give students a sense of accomplishment and seeing their peers perform can be inspiring. I usually host two recitals yearly. The student may perform solo or with a pianist. I have also helped many students prepare for auditions. My students have been accepted into Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, New England Conservatory Prep School, New England Conservatory Bachelor’s program, Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Junior District, Senior District, and All State.
For beginning students, I typically start with Hal Leonard's Essential Elements, Suzuki, and easy scales. Once the student has progressed and appears to grasp the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce etudes and solo pieces. I also teach students elementary music theory related to the pieces they are learning. For advanced students, I focus more on their technique and performance. Scales and etudes are essential as well as having experience playing a diverse repertoire. I always encourage students (All Levels) to perform on the stage at least once a year and for advanced students in middle & high schools, I recommend that they apply to district auditions.
My belief is that performed music should be fun for the performer as well as the audience. I will always give my best effort when I teach but students are also required to put in effort if they want to learn and become passionate about music. I encourage my students to have regular practice routines but make sure they are not overwhelmed. When I teach I also like to ask my students questions (such as “how much bow do you need for this note?” or “what is the best approach to make this phrase more expressive with your left-hand?”) so that students can learn to come up with solutions by themselves and can feel comfortable practicing without my always being there to guide them.